The Nordic Implementation of UNSCR 1325 A Comparative Evaluation Pirjo Jukarainen & Eeva Puumala
The Nordic Implementation of UNSCR 1325
A Comparative Evaluation
Pirjo Jukarainen & Eeva Puumala
Disclaimer
The authors’ views expressed in this evaluation report do not necessarily reflect the views of the
organizations or individual members that belong to the 1325 Network Finland.
© The 1325 Network Finland, 2014 & Acaide Oy
1
Table of Contents
Contents
List of abbreviations ................................................................................................................. 2
Foreword ................................................................................................................................. 3
1 Women, Peace, and Security Agenda ...................................................................................... 5
2 The Scope of the Study......................................................................................................... 10 2.1 Methods and Material .................................................................................................... 10 2.2 Respondents and Participants ........................................................................................ 12 2.3 Limits of the Evaluation ................................................................................................. 13
3 National Action Plans in the Nordic Countries......................................................................... 14 3.1 Comparison of the Responsible Parties ............................................................................ 16 3.2 Focus Areas ................................................................................................................... 17 3.3 Indicators ...................................................................................................................... 25 3.4 The CSOs and Academic Respondents’ Evaluation of the Indicators ................................... 28 3.5 Monitoring Mechanisms ................................................................................................. 29
4 The Nordic Implementation of UNSCR 1325 and its Following Resolutions ................................ 35 4.1 Financial and Human Resources for the UNSCR 1325 Related Work. .................................. 35 4.2 Capacity Building and Training of Gender Expertise .......................................................... 40 4.3 International and Nordic Cooperation ............................................................................. 43 4.4 Good Practices and Challenges ....................................................................................... 43
5 The Civil Society and the Promotion and Implementation of UNSCR 1325 ................................. 48 5.1 Comparing the Nordic Organizing of Civil Society ............................................................. 48 5.2 The Role of the Civil Society in the Implementation of NAP ............................................... 50
6 Lessons learned – Recommendations for the Future ............................................................... 53
Epilogue ................................................................................................................................ 54 UNSCR 1325 as a feasible framework of action ...................................................................... 54
Appendix 1 ............................................................................................................................ 56
Appendix 2 ............................................................................................................................ 58
2
List of abbreviations
CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination
against Women
CMC Crisis Management Centre
CMI Crisis Management Initiative
CSO Civil Society Organization
DDR Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration
EU European Union
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FBA Folke Bernadotte Academy
FINCENT Finnish Defence Forces International Centre
FOKUS Forum for Women and Development
MFA Ministry for Foreign Affairs
NAP National Action Plan
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
NORAD Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
ICRU Icelandic Crisis Response Unit
ICEIDA Icelandic International Development Agency
OCHA United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs
OECD/DAC Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
/Development Co-operation Directorate
SIDA Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency
SSR Security sector reform
SWEDINT Swedish Armed Forces
UN United Nations
UNSCR 1325 United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325
UN WOMEN United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and
the Empowerment of Women
UNHCR United Nations Refugee Agency
UNFPA United Nations Population Fund
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund
WILPF Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
3
Foreword
In October 2013, the 1325 Network Finland
commissioned a comparative evaluation on
the implementation of UNSCR 1325 in the
Nordic countries. The Nordic countries are
often seen as a homogenous group
representing similar values in the context of
the UN. The principle of gender equality
functions as a guideline to the foreign aid
policies in all of these countries. Therefore it is
no surprise that Denmark, Sweden, Norway,
Finland and Iceland were among the
forerunners when they, between 2005 and
2008, wrote their National Action Plans
(NAPs) to speed up the implementation of
UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security
and related resolutions.
But how do the Nordic countries actually
implement their NAPs? In similar ways or are
there perhaps some (important) differences in
implementation? The main goal that the 1325
Network Finland set for this evaluation was to
build awareness of the ways and practices
through which the United Nations Security
Council Resolution 1325 and its following
resolutions have been implemented in
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and
Sweden.
The comparison is based on contrasting the
Nordic National Action Plans against one
another: pointing out differences in focal
points, funding and evaluation and monitoring,
as well as identifying the best practices in their
implementation. In addition, the evaluation
team will point out the “Nordic lessons
learned” and make practical suggestions for
the Finnish actors in regards to making
implementation more effective.
The evaluation process in itself was already
very informative and enabled us to gain
insight on how differences in implementation
and in 1325 related work in general materialize
in practice in the Nordic countries. However,
locating relevant actors proved in some
respect harder than what we had anticipated.
Indeed, the high turnover of corresponding
authorities is one of the key challenges that
affect 1325 implementation. Nevertheless, we
managed to collect enough information in the
end, and it was also a pleasure to notice that
the network of actors that work to implement
the UNSCR 1325 is vast, although the
stratification of the field makes the forming of
a comprehensive picture difficult.
We are also delighted about the response of
the civil society actors from different countries
when they learned about our work. By
engaging in dialogue with them, we learned a
lot about the subject matter of the evaluation.
Also the representatives of various
administrative bodies and the academia have
been very helpful, taking time to answer our
queries and thus helping us forward.
We wish to thank each and everyone who took
part in our discussions, shared information,
participated in the survey, gave tips on who to
contact and what to read, and pointed out
gaps in implementation that were not covered
in the survey. The response we received made
4
us feel that the work we were doing mattered
and that it had a purpose that resonated
strongly with the practical work of actually
implementing SCR 1325.
There is one person whose efforts need to be
acknowledged and without whom neither the
additional material nor the overall picture of
the network of actors within the Nordic
countries would have been completed. Ms.
Elina Hatakka went the extra mile, and
without counting the time spent or being
discouraged by the difficulties, managed to
gather the necessary information. Her passion
towards the theme and determination not to
give up have enabled us to make visible and
recognize important differences between the
Nordic countries that would have been
omitted had we resorted only to the official
and already published data.
May 2014,
Pirjo Jukarainen & Eeva Puumala
Acaide Oy
5
1 Women, Peace, and Security Agenda
“UNSCR 1325 is intended to be a strategic framework for
more effective and sustainable peace negotiations,
peace-keeping missions and peacebuilding interventions
by the international community. It encompasses a range
of complex issues, such as judicial and legal reform,
security sector reform, peace negotiations, peacekeeping,
political participation and protection from and response
to sexual violence in armed conflict.”1
The agenda of “women, peace and security” is
set in the resolution described in the above
quote. The main objectives and aims of the
UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (adopted
in 2000) can be capsulized in three main
themes:
1) Supporting the participation of women,
which in practice means
Increasing the participation of women at
all decision-making levels in peace
processes
Increased role of women in UN operations,
especially among military observers,
civilian police, human rights and
humanitarian personnel
Appointing more women as special
representatives and envoys to pursue
governing offices on behalf of the UN
Secretary General
2) Protection of women and girls in armed
conflicts, by:
Training all peacekeeping personnel on the
protection, special needs and human
1
In Egnell, R., P. Hojem and H. Berts (2012). Implementing a Gender Perspective in Military Organisations and Operations: The Swedish Armed Forces Model, p. 6. Uppsala University.
rights of women and children in conflict
situations
Protecting women and girls from gender-
based violence, particularly rape and other
forms of sexual abuse, through:
Recognizing the special needs of
women and girls in refugee camps and
settlements
Emphasizing the responsibility of
states to put an end to impunity and
prosecute those responsible of
genocide, crimes against humanity,
war crimes relating to sexual violence
against women and girls and excluding
these crimes (where feasible) from
amnesty provisions
3) Mainstreaming gender perspective in
peace processes, by:
Incorporating the gender perspective/a
gender component into peacekeeping
operations
Adopting a gender perspective when
negotiating and implementing peace
agreements, which means:
recognizing the special needs of
women and girls during the so called
DDR (Disarmament, Demobilisation
and Reintegration) processes and
programmes
supporting local women’s peace
initiatives and indigenous processes for
conflict resolution
respecting the human rights of women
and girls as they relate to (the reform
of) the constitution, the electoral
system, the police and the judiciary
6
As the spectrum of the resolution is wide and
the objectives manyfold, the UNSCR 1325
leaves each of the Nordic states many focus
areas to choose from. One of the problems,
however, is a somewhat contradictory
understanding of the role of women and girls;
the UNSCR 1325 represents them at the same
time as vulnerable victims in need of
protection and as full agents (in the roles of
peacemakers, peacekeepers and so forth) who
need recognition and empowerment. The
former approach represents difference
feminism, which offers an image of women as
different from, and perhaps weaker than, men,
while the latter approach can be termed as
equality feminism, where women are seen as
capable as men.
This duality, seeing women either as agents or
victims, can be detected also within the wider
“1325 Resolution family”. Since its adoption
the UNSCR 1325 has been strengthened and
boosted with already six new UN Security
Council Resolutions, in which women are
framed as victims and as a vulnerable part of
the population. Resolutions 1820 (adopted in
2008), 1888 (in 2009), 1960 (in 2010) and 2106
(in 2013) all call for stronger and more
concrete measures to protect women and girls
from sexual violence and abuse. Related to
these, the UN General Assembly also adopted
in 2008 a groundbreaking resolution (62/214),
namely A UN Comprehensive Strategy on
Assistance and Support to Victims of Sexual
Exploitation and Abuse by UN Staff and Related
Personnel.
The other stream of policy, which emphasizes
women’s active role in peace processes, has
produced two additional Security Council
Resolutions: resolution 1889 (adopted in
2009), and the most recent one, resolution
2122 (adopted in 2013). According to the
WILPF analysis of the SCR 2122, the pendulum
swings back from a narrower focus on sexual
violence to a more holistic approach of
women’s security needs and the conditions of
sustainable peace. It also reinforces the role of
women as agents.2 The new UNSCR 2122 is a
welcome addition to the group of resolutions
adopted thus far. We also encourage its
adoption proactively as a part of the Nordic
National Action Plans.
In brief, resolution 2122 brings the UNSCR
1325 into the contemporary decade. It for
instance notes women’s need for access to the
full range of sexual and reproductive health
services. Within the Nordic countries, related
action has already been supported since 2002
by Finland in Afghanistan, where the maternal
mortality rate is among the highest in the
world. Finland actually decided to double its
annual funding (from 500,000 €) to the Marie
Stopes International Afghanistan until 2017.3
UNSCR 2122 also links the economic
empowerment of women with the stabilization
of society after armed conflicts, and strongly
emphasizes the role of civil society, including a
more systematic organization of women in
peacebuilding. The importance of civil society
2 WILPF Analysis of UNSCR 2122. Peacewomen -
website. http://peacewomen.org/security_council_monitor/debate-watch/all-debates/70/security-council-open-debate-on-women-peace-and-security-october-2013?adhocpage=9653 3 Jukarainen, P. (2012) Implementing the UNSCR 1325
Women, Peace and Security in Afghanistan. Analysis of Finland’s Activities during the period of the 1325 NAP 2008–2011, 1325 Network Finland.
7
organizations (CSOs) is highlighted also in all
current Nordic National Action Plans (NAPs).
Both SCRs 1889 and 2122 also express
concerns about the inadequate representation
of women in peace mediation processes. The
UN peacebuilding teams and member states
are also called on to facilitate women’s
participation in peace mediation processes.
Moreover, mandates for the UN peace support
missions should include provisions on the
promotion of gender equality. Both of the
aforementioned objectives have been serious
challenges in the implementation of the 1325
resolution family even today. In fact,
according to the report of the UN Secretary
General in 2010 (answering the evaluation
request given in SCR 1889), since 1992 women
have constituted less than 8 % of negotiating
delegations and less than 3 % of the
signatories of peace agreements.4 A research
of 585 peace agreements signed between
1990 and 2010 found that only 16 % of them
contained any reference to women, and even
then women were represented merely as a
group that required special assistance.5 There
has been positive and significant progress,
however, during the last few years! According
to the recent report of the UN Secretary
General all of 12 the UN led or co-led peace
negotiation processes included women in
2012. Likewise gender experts were deployed
to 85 % of conflict resolution processes led or
co-led by the UN, an increase from 36 % in
2011. Also consultations with women’s civil
4 Women’s participation in peacebuilding. Report of the
Secretary General. A/65/354 – S/2010/466. 5 Bell, C. & O’Rourke C. (2010) Peace Agreements or
Pieces of Paper? The Impact of UNSC Resolution 1325 on Peace Processes and their Agreements. International and Comparative Law Quarterly 5: 4, 941–980.
society organizations were conducted
regularly in all peace processes; in this respect
also a significant increase from 50 % in 2011.6
In the Nordic context, we can generalize and
say that women’s participation in peace
processes (in peace mediation and
negotiations) is a more or less explicit priority
area in all Nordic NAPs. Most clearly, however,
it is a national priority in Finland, Iceland and
Norway, which monitor progress in this field
with different indicators (In Finland there are 3
clear indicators on the issue; in Iceland and
Norway 4). According to the 2011 Progress
Report, Norway has succeeded in finacing
gender sensitive peace processes and has
included women in its own delegations to
peace negotiations.7
Besides peace mediation, the objective of
increasing women’s participation in military
peacekeeping remains a genuine challenge
today, even for the otherwise rather
egalitarian Nordic countries. This theme is a
priority in all Nordic NAPs and all of the Nordic
countries also have indicators to monitor
progress in this field. For instance according to
the 2012 evaluation report of Operation 1325
in Sweden the share of women in all agencies
that are involved in peacekeeping missions is
14.7 percent, while in the armed forces the
share of women is 13.1 percent.8 The first-ever
woman to command a UN peacekeeping force,
however, comes from Norway! General Kristin
6 Report of the Secretary General on women and peace
and security. S/2013/525. 7 Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Women, peace
and security: Norways’ Strategic Plan 2011–2013, 2011 Progress report. 8 Operation 1325 (2012) Women Count. Civil Society
Monitoring Report 2012. Sweden’s implementation of UNSCR 1325.
8
Lund will start leading about 1,000
peacekeepers in Cyprus in August 2014
(UNFICYP). Also Norwegian Mari Skåre was
appointed the NATO Secretary General's first
special representative for Women, Peace and
Security in 2012.
Table 1. Female personnel in Peace Support Operations Note: These figures are only rough estimates based on our questionnaire and national reporting from the years 2012–2013 (See chapter 2.1 Methods and material). The actual numbers may differ during the year.
In addition, women’s discrimination and
sexual harassment are reported to be
problems in operations. A research by the
Swedish National Defence College, conducted
in 2008, found that about 30 percent of
Swedish female officers on international
missions have been subject to sexual
harassment during their duty abroad. 9 One of
the objectives and indicators in the Finnish
NAP for instance stresses explicit Code of
Conduct in peace-support operations and its
monitoring. This objective aims at preventing
all kinds of sexual and gender-related abuse
and harassment. Sweden is also mentioning in
its NAP the importance of strengthening
compliance with the operational Code of
Conduct in this matter.
9
Ivarsson, and Edmark (2007). Utlandsstyrkans internationella insatser ur ett genusperspektiv. Hinder och möjligheter för implementering av FN resolution 1325. Slutrapport. Stockholm: Försvarshögskolan
More generally speaking, protection of women
and girls against sexual violence and support for
the victims of violence is most clearly a central
theme in Norway and Iceland. In their NAPs
there are several concrete activities and
indicators related to this theme of the UNSCR
1325, and more specific resolutions 1820, 1888,
1960 and 2106 on sexual and gender-based
violence. All Nordic countries’ NAPs, however,
mention this theme among the objectives.
The gender balance is much more even in
civilian crisis management. For instance in
Finland, according to CMC Finland’s statistics,
women have counted approximately for 35–
40 % of all personnel on civilian missions in
recent years. The Folke Bernadotte Academy
in Sweden reports that of the personnel it
recruited in 2012, as much as 54 % were
women.10 In Iceland, the majority of seconded
ICRU personnel consisted of men until 2011;
10
Svenska myndigheters genomförande av FN:s Säkerhetsrådsresolution 1325, Perioden 1.1.–31.12.2012.
2012–2013 DENMARK FINLAND ICELAND NORWAY SWEDEN
Military personnel
Data not available
2 % No military personnel
7 % (2012) 9 %
Civilian personnel
8–10 % 33 % 60 % 50 % (police, 2012)
28 % (police) 47 % (other
civilians)
9
since then the ratio of women to men hase
been 60/40 in favour of women.11
Besides the acknowledged substantial and
thematic challenges, it needs to be noted that
the language used in UNSCR 1325 and its
following resolutions is rather vague,
employing words such as “invites”,
“encourages” and “urges”. The member states
are not “required” or “obliged” to take any
particular measures to guarantee the
implementation of the agenda, which in
practice has led internationally to varied
measures and different kinds of emphasis and
implementation strategies12.
11
Iceland’s reporting for the UN with reference to the request for information regarding the implementation of UNSCR 1325, May 2013. 12
See also Egnell, R., P. Hojem and H. Berts (2012). Implementing a Gender Perspective in Military Organisations and Operations: The Swedish Armed Forces Model, p. 1. Uppsala University.
10
2 The Scope of the Study
In the light of the above introduction, the
goal of this evaluation is to compare the
implementation of UNSCR 1325 and its
following resolutions in Denmark, Finland,
Iceland, Norway and Sweden. On one hand,
the evaluation aims to analyze and contrast
the objectives that were set in the resolutions
against the Nordic National Action Plans
(NAPs). Thus, it sheds light on the differences
of primary focus areas of Denmark, Finland,
Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Further
emphasis is placed on the evaluation of how
well the NAPs and their implementation are
in line with the scope and content of the SCRs.
On the other hand, the study evaluates the
differences that exist between the Nordic
countries in actual implementation, the
achievement of goals, and the amount of
resources allocated for work related to
UNSCR 1325.
The more specific objectives of this study are
to:
to form a comprehensive picture of the
current framework of action in the field of
UNSCR 1325 in the Nordic countries
to compare the differences in resources
(both financial and human) between the
Nordic countries
to document and share insight on best
practices on the implementation of the
National Action Plans
to identify and analyse challenges and
gaps in implementation in the Nordic
countries
to locate and make visible silent and
experience-based knowledge that the
relevant actors have on implementation
to develop recommendations for the
future
2.1 Methods and Material
The documentary material for this research
comprises of the 1325 resolution family, the
Nordic NAPs, the “shadow” evaluation
reports of the Nordic NGOs and the self-
monitoring evaluations of the Nordic
governments. However, civil society reports
were not available from Denmark and Iceland,
while several reports have been published in
Sweden. 13 Thus there is variance in the
13
The full list of reports and official documents that have been consulted for this evaluation can be found in Appendix 1.
amount of available material among the
Nordic countries.
Information gathered through a desk study
was utilized in the making of the Internet-
based survey that formed the second part of
the empirical data on which this evaluation is
based14. As a whole, the evaluation aims to
14
This additional data set boosts the comparative part of the evaluation, as it makes it possible to compare different means of implementation and differences in
11
generate a genuine discussion between
national objectives and actual practices of
implementing UNSCR 1325 in the Nordics,
and to facilitate its effective implementation
and monitoring in the future. The drafted
survey was sent to ministries and other
relevant governmental bodies, and also to
civil society organizations that work with the
monitoring or implementation of UNSCR
1325 in at least one of the Nordic countries.
Furthermore, researchers working on the
themes of gender and conflict (resolution)
were selected to participate in the survey.
This selection of respondents enables the
evaluation to address and make visible
experience-based and tacit knowledge on
implementation. In order to gain valid
information and to be able to take into
account each group’s professional and unique
perspectives on implementation, the survey
forms were customized.
Themes addressed in the survey for
representatives of ministries and other
administrative bodies were
(i) funding and resources
(ii) monitoring and evaluation
(iii) implementation
(iv) training (if applicable)
(v) cooperation between different actors.
All in all, the survey form addressed to the
representatives of governmental bodies
comprised of 18 questions.
Survey forms for the representatives of civil
society organizations covered the following
themes:
resourcing with regard to the implementation of UNSCR 1325.
(i) funding and resources
(ii) monitoring and indicators
(iii) promotion and implementation
(iv) cooperation between governmental
organizations and NGOs
In the survey sent to the non-governmental
sector the total number of questions was 17.
In these two surveys the respondents were,
with the help of thematic questions, asked to
reflect upon their work and its meaning
together with its relation to the effective
implementation of UNSCR 1325. Furthermore,
there were questions that charted the most
pressing points that would need to be
developed in the future to enhance the
implementation of UNSCR 1325.
In the survey sent to researchers, the overall
research environment was charted to gain
insight into whether questions related to
gender sensitive conflict studies are
appealing topics in terms of research funding.
Another theme was the role of researchers in
work related to UNSCR 1325. In relation to
this theme, researchers were asked to
critically evaluate the process of writing the
National Action Plans, the functionality of
indicators and success areas and possible
gaps in implementation.15
15
The questions of the surveys are included in Appendix 2.
12
2.2 Respondents and Participants
The survey mapped out the network of
relevant actors that work with the
implementation of UNSCR 1325 in the Nordic
countries. It was sent out to 65 respondents.
The number of respondents by country and
affiliation are presented in Table 1.
The first major difference that the evaluation
team encountered was that in some countries
and sectors it was relatively easy to locate
people who were to receive the survey. In
Denmark, however, the situation was rather
difficult: it proved practically impossible to
find researchers whose research interests
were gender sensitive conflict studies. In the
end, only two people received the survey, and
both let the evaluation team know that they
did not have the neccesary expertise.
Denmark Finland Iceland Norway Sweden
Governmental bodies 3 (1) 8 (4) 2 (1) 7 (3) 12 (7)
CSOs 3 (2) 3 (2) 2 (2) 3 (2) 4 (3)
Researchers 2 (0) 3 (1) 4 (2) 4 (3) 5 (5)
Total number of respondents 8 (3) 14 (7) 8 (5) 14 (8) 21 (16)
Table 2. The respondents and number of responses for the survey by country and affiliation
The high response rate of the survey suggests
that people working with the implementation
of SCR 1325 are committed to their work. The
response rate of the whole survey was 60 %.
The group specific percentages were:
50 % for the representatives of ministries
and other administrative bodies16
73 % for the representatives of CSOs17
61 % for the researchers
16
There were 6 incomplete surveys of which 2 are still included in the response rate. In 4 rejected forms, the respondent had merely identified the body and country that s/he represented, while the other 2 had replied some other questions as well. The 4 empty forms - 2 from Sweden and 2 from Norway - are not included in the statistics. 17
In the responses of the representatives of civil society, there was one respondent, who indicated only the kind of CSO that s/he represented and the country where the organization was based. This response has not been taken into account.
In order to gain a better view on the gender
training in armed forces in each country, we
carried out two extra interviews and a couple
of small e-mail questionnaires. This data
forms the core of analysis in section 4.2.
13
2.3 Limits of the Evaluation
As the scope of the evaluation is wide and its
research methodology qualitative, it has not
been possible to scrutinise any single aspect of
the Nordic implementation of UNSCR 1325 in
depth. The small questionnaire for the
selected authorities and experts, and the
documentary materials reveal only on a
general level, how the implementation is
carried out in practice and what insight
various actors offer based on their
organizational involvement in the
implementation. In addition, it needs to be
emphasized that the evaluation focuses only
on the current state of implementation and its
outcomes in the Nordic countries. Thus it does
not examine the way in which for example the
National Action Plans have developed and
whether there have been changes in
implementation activity.
14
3 National Action Plans in the Nordic Countries
Next, we will present the responsible parties
that are stated in the different Nordic NAPs.
Secondly, we will briefly sketch their focus
areas. In the third and fourth parts of this
section, attention is drawn to the indicators at
use, and lastly we pay attention to
monitoring practices and their frequency.
CURRENT SIGNATORIES THE ROLE OF THE CIVIL SOCIETY
DENMARK 1st NAP in 2005 2nd 2008–2013
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Danish National Police These signatories have the responsibility to internally plan their implementation and report for the Inter-Ministerial Working Group
Danish civil society was consulted in the revision of the 1325 NAP
Danish CSOs that work in the area of humanitarian and peace operations are mentioned as the trainers of Danish soldiers & police.
SCR 1325 will be discussed when relevant within the Humanitarian Contact Group
18
Within the Women and conflict initiative in Africa of the MFA, the Danish and African NGO’s awarenessraising of the SCR 1325 and programmes to empower women are supported.
The Danish NGOs are mentioned as important partners in mine action activities.
The Inter-Ministerial Working Group (IMWG) on SCR 1325 can be used as a dialogue forum with the civil society
FINLAND 1st NAP 2008–2011 2nd 2012–2016
Ministers: for Foreign Affairs, for International Development, of Justice, of the Interior, of Defence, of Culture and Sport. Besides the signatories above, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Office of the Ombudsman for Minorities, Finnish Defence Forces and the Crisis Management Centre (CMC) Finland are also mentioned as responsible parties in several issues.
Both the first and the revised 1325 NAPs were drafted in cooperation with the Finnish NGOs.
Funding NGO projects with a gender objective and the funding for UN Women are two indicators of programming.
The 1325 Network formed by NGOs has an important role in monitoring and evaluation. Funding for NGO’s 1325 work is one of the indicators of monitoring and reporting.
18
The Humanitarian Contact Group strengthens cooperation between Humanitarian NGO's (such as DanChurchAid and Danish Red Cross) and Humanitarian Governmental organisations (for example Danida and the Danish Emergency Management Agency).
15
ICELAND 1st NAP 2008 2nd 2013–2016
Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Besides the signatory Ministry, the Icelandic Crisis Response Unit (ICRU) and the Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA) are mentioned as responsible parties related to the indicators.
NGOs were consulted in the revision of the 1325 NAP.
Funding for the Icelandic NGOs that promote participation of women in peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction is one indicator of participation.
A minimum of 5 million Icelandic kroner should be granted annually to local and international NGOs that focus on the increased participation of women in peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction.
NGOs are provided two training courses annually on SCR 1325 (allocated budget: appr. 500,000 Icelandic kroner/per training)
Icelandic and International NGO’s projects related to the protection against sexual violence or protection of victims of sexual violence in conflict is supported. Minimum annual funding allocated: 10 million Icelandic kroner.
NORWAY 1st 2006 2nd (strategy) 2011–2013
Ministers: of Foreign Affairs, of the Environment and International Development, of Defence, of Justice and the Police, of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion. The signatories above share the responsibility for implementation
An annual allocation of 300 million NOK for women’s rights, and 140 million NOK from the allocations for humanitarian assistance and peace and reconciliation are earmarked each year for the implementation of SCR 1325.
Women’s organizations and networks with contacts at grassroot level are priority partners when increasing women’s participation in peace processes in which Norway is involved. This is monitored with indicators of volume and financial support.
(Medical, psychosocial and legal) projects and campaigns related to sexual violence in conflict are supported.
NGOs and research institutes meet twice a year with an inter-ministerial follow-up working group.
SWEDEN 1st 2006–2008 2nd 2009–2012 (extended till 2015)
Government Offices of Sweden (Regeringskansliet) The following are listed in the NAP as key national officials involved in the implementation: Ministries for Foreign Affairs, of Defence, of Justice and for Integration and gender Equality. The following agencies are also mentioned: the Swedish Armed Forces, the national Police Board, the Folke Bernadotte Academy, SIDA, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, the Swedish Defence research Agency, the National Defence College, the Swedish Prison and Probation Services, the National Courts Administration and
The revised 1325 NAP has been drafted with the NGOs.
The project and later network called GenderForce involving NGOs and government agencies is mentioned as an example of good collaboration and forum to exchange information and experiences.
Swedish NGOs are mentioned as important partners in disseminating information nationally and co-operating with the women’s organizations in partner countries.
16
the Swedish Prosecution Authority. Swedish embassies and permanent missions abroad. The indicators adopted concern only the following officials: Swedish Armed Forces, the national Police Board, Folke Bernadotte Academy, SIDA, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, and the Swedish Prison and Probation Services
Table 3. The signatory parties and the role of the civil society in the Nordic NAPs
3.1 Comparison of the Responsible Parties
The current signatory parties in the Nordic
NAPs are represented in Table 2 together
with the role that the NAPs give for the civil
society in the implementation of UNSCR 1325.
Comparison shows that the Ministry for/of
Foreign Affairs is central for the
implementation in all Nordic countries. The
same concerns the Ministry of Defence –
except for Iceland, where there is no standing
army. The Icelandic peacekeeping forces
(Icelandic Crisis Response Unit, ICRU) form a
separate entity within the Ministry for
Foreign Affairs.
Sweden identifies the largest list of key
officials; its list of 7 indicators, however,
allocates responsibility to 6 governmental
officials, and thus, unlike other Nordic
countries, it in a manner “frees” the
mentioned Ministries from implementation
responsibility with its current indicators. This,
however, derives from the fact that in
Sweden since 1997, Government Offices
(Regerignskansliet) has formed a single,
integrated public authority and the
Government Agencies are rather
independent. There are no sector ministries
similar to other Norcis countries.
Finland has the longest list of responsible
Ministries (altogether 7), in contrast to
Iceland (only one) and Denmark (2).
There are also differences in the ways and
depth in which CSOs have been taken into
account in the NAPs – in the formulation,
revision and actual implementation or
promotion of 1325. Also the amount of
funding that is allocated for the work of CSOs
in the NAPs varies within the Nordic countries.
(See more in chapter 5.)
17
3.2 Focus Areas
Due to considerable structural differences
between the Nordic NAPs, the following
comparison of the national focus areas is
based on the three main themes or objectives
of the UNSCR 1325 that were introduced in
the beginning of this report. Hence, the NAPs
will be compared in terms of the efforts and
measures they introduce in the focus areas,
namely in the fields of participation (of
women), protection (of women and girls in
conflicts) and mainstreaming gender
perspective in peace processes. The themes
are purely analytical, and as such not present
in the UNSCR 1325. However, they do provide
a useful framework for the comparison of the
Nordic countries’ national priorities.
DENMARK
The current Danish 1325 NAP for the years 2008–2013 has three overall
objectives:
To achieve greater, active participation of women in peace building at international
and local levels;
To enhance the recognition of the special needs and rights of women and girls
before, during and after armed conflict;
To provide protection of girls and women against violence, including gender-based
violence, such as rape and sexual abuse, and ending impunity for gender crimes.
These themes are first operationalized as action lists for the relevant national
organizations and the European and international frameworks in the field of
humanitarian and peace-operations19.
Moreover, in the field of peacebuilding and conflict resolution, the NAP defines
tasks and roles separately for bilateral cooperation, for NGOs, and for
multilateral cooperation within the UN, the World Bank and the OECD/DAC.
Participation
The theme of participation is emphasized when the NAP states that Denmark
aims to:
Increase the number of women in senior international work by contributing
candidates to the roster for positions within the EU and the UN
Achieve gender balance in peace operations 20
19
Here the Danish NAP lists the following organizations: the EU, OSCE, NATO, the UN and the so called like-minded countries – in which context for instance Sweden and Norway are mentioned. 20
The responsible actors mentioned are the Danish Armed Forces, the Danish National Police and Danish International Humanitarian Services
18
Work to increase the flexibility of EU terms and conditions for deployment, to
attract more (police) women. 21
Protection
The theme of protection is present in the two priority areas set in the Danish
NAP, but concrete measures of action are mentioned only in some objectives
(for example):
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports capacity building and training on the prevention of
sexual exploitation and abuse in UN peacekeeping operations
Denmark will prioritise adequate health care and, where necessary surgical attention to
victims of gender based violence and support adequate protection to girls and women in
camps.
The relative lack of attention to protection in the Danish NAP may have resulted
from the need to focus more on women’s active participation in peacebuilding,
as one of the lessons learned after the evaluation of the previous NAP (2005–
2008) was that it focused mainly on the protection of women against the effects
of violent conflict.22
Gender mainstreaming
In more concrete terms, Denmark operationalizes gender mainstreaming for
instance through the following measures23:
Working to include relevant elements of SCR 1325 into civil-military co-planning
Mainstreaming SCR 1325 into Danish humanitarian assistance and development
assistance
Training the staff of the Danish Armed Forces, the Danish National Police and the
Danish International Humanitarian Services and enhancing the understanding of
SCR 1325
Promoting the initiation of a NATO policy on SCR 1325 implementation
Promoting SCR 1325 aspects in Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration
(DDR) initiatives
21
The responsible party mentioned is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 22
Denmark’s 1325 NAP 2008–2013, page 11 23
The list is more an indicative than a comprehensive one.
19
FINLAND
In the current Finnish NAP (2012–2016), Finland emphasizes each of the three
central themes outlined in the UNSCR 1325. The following groupings are used in
the Finnish NAP:
Conflict prevention, peace negotiations and peacebuilding
Crisis management
Strengthening, protecting and safeguarding the human rights of women and girls
Besides these broad themes, the Finnish NAP mentions three other cross-
cutting sub-themes, which play a role in creating preconditions for the
strengthening of women’s participation in peace processes. These sub-themes
are environment and security, health, and education.
In the Finnish NAP the theme of participation overlaps and intersects with the
themes of prevention and gender mainstreaming, so it is also here treated
together with the two other themes
Participation and prevention
Under the themes of prevention and participation, the Finnish 1325 NAP has 3
objectives:
To advocate UNSCR 1325 in conflict prevention, peace negotiations, peacebuilding
and humanitarian aid
To support women’s economic and political participation and empowerment in
conflict prevention
To promote women’s participation in environment and security related issues and
in the mitigation of climate change and adaptation to its consequences
Participation and gender mainstreaming
The second theme that places emphasis on women’s participation intersecting
with gender mainstreaming in crisis management also has 3 objectives:
To increase the number and share of women in crisis management and strengthen
the implementation of SCR 1325 both nationally and internationally
To ensure that all crisis management personnel, their trainers and the responsible
authorities possess required expertise in human rights and gender equality and
good team working skills
To ensure that the military and civilian crisis management staff has an explicit code
of conduct and that it is monitored
20
Protection
Under the third thematic focus area, namely protection, there are three
following objectives:
To strengthen the human rights of women and girls (internationally and locally)
To participate in the fight against impunity
To prevent human trafficking and sexual and other forms of violence against
women, and to support the victims of these crimes
Under each of the objectives, the Finnish NAP lists from one to ten (1–10)
concrete steps to be taken at the national, international and local levels (here
the latter refers to countries or areas in conflict).
ICELAND
The Icelandic NAP for the years 2013–2016 puts forward four main objectives
under the following titles:
Training and Advocacy
Focus: the training of employees who work on UNSCR 1325 and advocacy of the
1325 resolution
Participation
Focus: women’s increased participation in peace processes and in post-conflict
reconstruction
Prevention, protection, relief and recovery
Focus: women and girls as victims in conflict need protection, relief and recovery
and sexual and gender-based violence needs to be prevented
Partnership and collaboration;
Focus: joint work between Icelandic Government, national and international NGOs,
international organizations and other like-minded countries
Participation
Under the theme “participation” there are five expected outcomes from the
implementation of the Icelandic NAP:
ICRU recruits gender equality experts
ICRU maintains a gender balance in staffing
More women are recruited to senior positions both in Iceland and internationally in
the field of peace and security and within the Icelandic Foreign Service
Women from conflict-affected areas participate in peacebuilding meetings
organized or attended by Icelandic officials
Support to projects that work on increasing the participation of women, whether
carried out by international organizations or national NGOs
21
Protection
Under the protection theme, the outcomes of activities are the following:
Women and girls are protected against violence and will receive relief and recovery
Victims of sexual violence get access to professional assistance and rehabilitation
Victims of human trafficking in Iceland receive assistance
Gender mainstreaming
Under the first objective Training and Advocacy the implementation is set in the
form of four concrete outcomes:
Employees and seconded experts of the Foreign Service, the Icelandic Crisis
Response Unit (ICRU) and the Icelandic International Development Agency
(ICEIDA) possess knowledge of UNSCR 1325;
Their job descriptions and/or project documents take UNSCR 1325 into account
The Country Plans of Action are aligned with the UNSCR 1325
The Icelandic government promotes, whenever possible, the implementation of
UNSCR 1325
Finally, the fourth objective of partnership lists the following outcomes that can
be related with gender mainstreaming:
Cooperation with individuals with working knowledge of conflicts
Line ministries, agencies and NGOs possess knowledge of UNSCR 1325
Increased public awareness of UNSCR 1325
Partnership and cooperation with the Nordic countries creates synergies in the
implementation
NORWAY
The current Norwegian Women, Peace and Security Strategic Plan for the years
2011–2013 prioritizes the following five areas. Furthermore, like the Icelandic
NAP, each priority area has an overall agenda that it aims to put forward:
Peace processes and negotiations
Focus: to promote the participation of women and to integrate a gender
perspective in peace processes and negotiations
International operations
Focus: to strengthen the gender perspective in international operations and
increase the participation of women
Post-conflict situations and peacebuilding
Focus: to increase the participation of women in peacebuilding and post-conflict
situations and strengthen gender perspective in reconstruction processes
22
Sexual violence in conflict
Focus: to prevent and protect against sexual violence, to promote the prosecution
of perpetrators and provide support for victims.
Reporting and accountability
Focus: to focus strongly on monitoring the results and to increase accountability
Participation and gender mainstreaming
Similar to Finland, the theme of participation intersects and overlaps with the
theme of gender mainstreaming in the Norwegian NAP. The first three priority
areas that fall within the themes of participation and gender mainstreaming
include the following concrete sub-goals:
More women participate in Norwegian and international peace delegations
Local women participate in peace processes and negotiations or in parallel
processes where Norway is involved
A gender perspective is integrated into peace agreements and peace processes
where Norway is involved
Norwegian operation personnel has knowledge and competence in SCR 1325
A gender perspective is integrated into the implementation and evaluation of
operations
More women participate in operations, especially in leadership positions
Local women participate in decision-making processes in peacebuilding and post-
conflict reconstruction
Women’s rights and needs are emphasized in security sector reforms.
Protection
Under the protection themed section related to sexual violence in conflict the
following goals are set:
Sexual violence is prevented in countries and areas where Norway is involved
Victims of sexual violence have opportunities for rehabilitation in areas where
Norway is engaged
Perpetrators are brought to justice on a national level and, where appropriate, on
an international level.
SWEDEN
Sweden has set three priority areas in the 1325 NAP for the years 2009–2012
(and extendedly until 2015):
23
A considerably larger proportion of women to participate in international peace-
support and security-building operations24
The protection of women and girls in conflict situations should be strengthened and
based on analysis in which women participate actively
Women in conflict areas should participate fully and on equal terms with men at all
levels in the mechanisms and institutions for conflict prevention, crisis management,
peace-building, humanitarian operations and other initiatives in the post-conflict
phase
All these priority areas are implemented nationally, regionally and globally. At
the national level the Swedish NAP lists altogether 25 concrete aims. Work at
the regional level mentions steps and initiatives within the EU, the OSCE, NATO,
and the Council of Europe. Work at the global level describes Sweden’s actions
within the UN system.
Participation
Women’s increased participation is mentioned in many contexts in the Swedish
NAP. It means for instance work to fulfill the following objectives:
Larger proportion of women at all levels and in different types of positions in
civilian and military operations
Equal participation of women and men in operation (in ESDP and UN operations)
Strategic efforts to increase the proportion of female conscripts, professional
soldiers and officers
More women candidates identified and nominated for senior positions in
operations
Swedish delegations that visit conflict areas must include discussions with women
Protection
The protection of women and girls in conflict refers to the following objectives:
Paying attention to the security needs and protection of women and girls,
including sexual and reproductive health and rights
Developing training for the Swedish personnel in peace-support and humanitarian
operations of UNSCR 1325 and 1820.
Gender mainstreaming
Sweden also enhances gender mainstreaming by e.g. the following means:
24
Within the framework of regional and international organisations, operations are to be implemented with a gender perspective in order to increase their effectiveness.
24
Integrating a clear gender equality perspective into the judicial system and the rule
of law in post-conflict countries
Dialogue with the relevant parties to a conflict covers women’s participation,
human and humanitarian rights, prevention of abuse and penal measures against
perpetrators
Swedish embassies and permanent missions abroad and other actors in conflict
areas work with SCR 1325 in these countries
The reform of the security sector in post-conflict countries takes SCR 1325 and the
active participation of women into account
SCR 1325 is integrated into development cooperation.
Sweden ensures that Gender advisers in ESDP operations receive the necessary
resources, authority and support.
Sweden participates in the New York -based group of friends of UNSCR 1325
IN SUM
There are considerable structural differences
in the way the thematic priority areas are
grouped and defined in Nordic NAPs. Broad
objectives and vague language are common
features of all the NAPs. The language
reflects the wordings of the UNSCR 1325
itself, and thus leaves concrete measures and
actions rather open and to be decided by the
actors who do the actual implementation of
the NAP.
Especially the Danish and Swedish NAPs
seem to list more expressions of political will
and determination than concrete plans for
implementation with clearly measurable
results. Finnish, Norwegian and Icelandic
NAPs are much more clearly focused and
have specific priority areas to be monitored.
The objectives as such set in the Nordic NAPs
often remain on a rather abstract level.
Without clear and concrete indicators, their
implementation is very very difficult.
Nordic cooperation is differently present in
the Nordic NAPs. Sweden only mentions it
breafly and generally. Denmark refers instead
to like-minded countries and mentions
Sweden and Norway in this context. Finland,
Iceland and Norway clearly monitor Nordic
cooperation with one of their NAP indicators.
Finland measures joint appearances,
inititiatives and projects; Iceland monitors e.g.
joint training, research and other projects;
Norway monitors cooperation within the
Nordic Centre for Gender in Military
Operations.
(See more of the actual implementation and
the Nordic cooperation in practice in Chapter
4.3)
25
3.3 Indicators
As in the case of the NAPs, also the indicators
at use in the Nordic coutries are diverse. The
following table presents an overview of the
themes and volumes of the indicators and
their subtance areas.
Indicators Themes in the NAP and volume of indicators under each theme
Nordic comparison of indicators
DENMARK No thematic categories listed At the end of NAP there are 5 different indicators
Counting the number of women: 1/5 indicator
Measuring the volume of gender expertise or personnel: 1/5 indicator
Measuring allocated funding: 0/5 indicators
Measuring gender training or education: 0/5 indicators
Responsible Ministries are mentioned with the objectives set, no clear relation to the indicators
FINLAND Theme 1: Policies & mandates (3)
Theme 2: Dialogues & partnerships (3)
Theme 3: Projects & programmes (11)
Theme 4: Personnel, expertise & accountability (11)
Theme 5: Ratification of international conventions & their implementation (3)
Theme 6: Evaluation, results & research (4)
Theme 7: Statistics & communications (3)
Theme 8: Monitoring & reporting (4) Total 42 indicators
Counting the number of women: 5/42 indicators
Measuring the volume of gender expertise or personnel: 3/42 indicators
Measuring allocated funding: 12/42 indicators
Measuring gender training or education: 5/42 indicators
Responsible Ministries are indicated for each indicator
ICELAND Theme 1: Training and advocacy (4)
Theme 2: Participation (5)
Theme 3: Prevention, protection, relief & recovery (3)
Theme 4: Partnership & collaboration (4)
Total 16 indicators
Counting the number of women: 3/16 indicators
Measuring the volume of gender expertise or personnel: 2/16 indicators
Measuring allocated funding: 8/16 indicators
Measuring gender training or education: 5/16 indicators
Responsible ministries and officials are mentioned in relation to the objectives; no clear relation to the indicators
26
NORWAY Priority area 1: Peace processes (6)
Priority area 2: International operations (10)
Priority area 3: Post-conflict situations & Peacebuilding (7)
Priority area 4: Sexual violence in conflict: (7)
Priority area 5: Reporting & accountability (5)
Total: 35 indicators
Counting the number of women: 5/33 indicators
Measuring the volume of gender expertise or personnel: 7/33
Measuring allocated funding: 8/33 indicators
Measuring gender training or education: 8/33 indicators
Responsible ministries are indicated for each activity but not explicitly for the indicators
SWEDEN The NAP for 2009–2012 has no indicators. In the autumn 2012 the Swedish Government adopted 7 different indicators.
Counting the number of women: 2/7 indicators
Measuring the volume of gender expertise or personnel: 1/7 indicators
Measuring allocated funding: 3/7 indicators
Measuring gender training or education: 0/7 indicators
Responsible officials are indicated for each indicator
Table 4. An overview of the indicators used in the Nordic countries.
When compared, Finland stands out with the
most extensive and explicit list of indicators.
The Finnish NAP lists altoghether 42 different
indicators that have been divided in 8 sub-
themes. The themes of the indicators are not
exactly the same as the Finnish priority areas,
but rather reflect concrete means of
implementation, such as policy papers and
advocacy, specific projects, personnel and
ratification of conventions.
The only problem with this creative and
thorough list of indicators is that it is perhaps
too detailed to be taken seriously – even if
the responsibility is clearly indicated for each
Ministry and office. The opposite is found in
the Danish NAP, which has no themes at all
and none of the indicators are directly related
to the priority areas. Iceland and Norway
have linked their indicators both to the
general thematic priority areas and under
these to specific objectives. Sweden has
adopted 7 indicators for 4 different objectives,
which are derived from the three general
aims set in the NAP.
Iceland and Sweden are countries that
measure progress most clearly through
funding allocated to UNSCR 1325 related
activities. From all the indicators in the NAPs,
as much as 50 % are economic in Iceland and
42 % in Sweden. In the Finnish NAP, 28 % of
all indicators measure allocated funding,
while the same share in Norway is 24 %.
These types of indicators include financial
resources allocated for different gender
sensitive projects, for the UN Women, DDR
and SSR programmes, for the NGOs or
women’s networks, and for gender training.
In Denmark none of the five indicators are
economic.
27
Iceland is the only country that has clearly
earmarked a budget allocation for
implementation in the NAP and its indicators.
Other countries relate objectives to specific
economic indicators. Finland for instance
mentions in the NAP that it continues active
support and funding for the Victims Trust
Fund of the International Criminal Court (ICC)
and its UNSCR 1325 related projects. Likewise
the 1325 Network Finland must be provided
financial support by the administrative
branches as it has an important role in the
monitoring and evaluation of the Action Plan.
These two objectives are monitored with
separate indicators.
General evaluation of the national differences (Pros and cons)
DENMARK 5 different indicators are more like concrete, operationalized objectives than monitoring tools. Indicators are linked to the 3 objectives.
FINLAND 42 indicators are innovatively categorized and linked both to the political objectives and different types of action (policies and mandates, dialogues and partnerships, projects and programmes personnel and expertise, ratification of conventions, evaluation, statisct etc.) It is mentioned which indicators are also used by the EU and/or the UN. This makes it easier for the officials to report for them.
ICELAND Indicators are very concrete and mostly rather easy to use. Some of the 16 indicators include also objectives (like the expected percentage share of women). Responsible actors are not named. Earmarked budget allocation in some of the indicators.
NORWAY 35 indicators have a specific time frame. Responsible ministries are named. Creative indicators are easy to follow and clearly linked to the set goals and concrete activities.
SWEDEN The NAP for 2009–2012 has no indicators. In the autumn 2012 the Swedish Government adopted 7 indicators of which 6 are quantitative. Civil society organizations have criticized of not being consulted during the drafting of the indicators.
28
3.4 The CSOs and Academic Respondents’ Evaluation of the Indicators
The representatives of the CSOs were asked
to evaluate whether the indicators that are
used in their country are functional, and
whether the official monitoring of the NAP is
effective. We also asked whether the
organization has been consulted or
participated in the creation of the national
indicators. The representatives of the
academia were also asked to what extent
academic knowledge and research results
had been taken into account when drafting
the NAP and deciding about the indicators.
In general, over 64 % of all representatives of
the CSOs felt that the indicators and/or
monitoring are not effective. The two
Icelandic CSO respondents, however, were
satisfied with the monitoring and/or
indicators, and their own organizations had
been consulted in defining them.
Representatives from the academia were
consulted, but the academic respondent felt
that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs relied
more on practioners knowledge from the
field than academic research when deciding
about the indicators. Another researcher saw
that the Icelandic NAP should identify more
clearly who is responsible for each task in the
plan. There is also a risk that Iceland focuses
only on the easily measurable objectives that
can be tracked with “numbers”.
The Finnish representatives of the CSOs
were divided in their opinions. One expressed
dissatisfaction towards the indicators and
pointed out that there should be more
concrete issues for the NAP to be effectively
monitored. Another respondent considered
that the indicators and monitoring
mechanisms were good as such, but was
skeptical whether they will be systematically
used. Indicators of the current NAP had been
valid for less than a year at the time of this
evaluation. Both of the CSO representatives
had participated in drafting the indicators,
but according to our academic respondent
from Finland, research results or academic
knowledge were not adequately used in the
process.
The strongest critique towards the indicators
came from Sweden. The CSO
representatives felt that the indicators were
not adequate or relevant to monitor the
implementation of the Swedish NAP and
they had not been consulted when the
indicators were set – only informed of them
afterwards25. It was seen as inappropriate
that the authorities that should be monitored
had the absolute power to define what should
be monitored. More measurable goals and
activities should also be set according to this
critique. One CSO respondent considered the
measurement of allocated funding as an
inappropriate way to evaluate the progress in
objectives that have been tied to them. Also
the methodology for reporting should be
strengthened, in the view of the survey
respondents, and when revisions are made to
the NAP the CSO sector should be involved in
the production of the indicators. The Swedish
academic respondents were not able to
estimate whether academic knowledge had
25
See also Operation 1325 (2013): Women count: Civil Society Monitoring Report 2013, Sweden’s Implementation of UNSCR 1325.
29
been used when drafting the NAP or
indicators.
When looking at how academic knowledge
and research has been used in drafting the
NAP and its indicators, Norway stands out as
an exception among the other Nordic
coutries. Norway’s NAP was written by two
researchers in cooperation with a civil servant
from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to our academic respondent,
relevant ministries were open to using
academic knowledge and research results.
However, the Norwegian NGOs were not
satisfied with the monitoring or indicators.
The indicators at use in Norway are
connected to the two years strategic plan of
2011–2013. The strategy says that it is an
updated version of the 2006 Action Plan,
which “will still apply and provide guidelines
for the broader implementation of SCR 1325”.
The representatives from the civil society
organizations pointed out that the indicators
of the strategy are hardly at use when the
actual reporting is done.
It was also considered difficult to track down
how the implementation is carried out in
practice, how much funding different
ministries use and how funding is allocated.
The CSOs have requested a specific budget
line from the officials to be able to track the
finances, but, in the words of one respondent
“so far without luck”. The CSOs have also
requested annual reporting for the
Parliament on the issue.
3.5 Monitoring Mechanisms
In the following table we will present the
practices and mechanisms of monitoring that
– according to the NAPs – are used or should
be used in the Nordic countries to follow-up
on the implementation of UNSCR 1325. It
also takes up some of the respondents’
comments from our survey to evaluate the
actual monitoring practices. After the table,
we will have a more thorough look at the
critique of the monitoring mechanisms and
practices brought up by the CSO sector and
academia.
RESPONSIBLE FOLLOW-UP GROUPS
OFFICIAL REPORTING AND DOCUMENTED MONITORING
DENMARK The Inter-Ministerial Working Group (IMWG) meets every six months
A yearly dialogue session hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Civil Society Organizations – given there is interest
Comment by an CSO representative:
“There is no monitoring group for an NGO
Participating Ministries (of Foreign Affairs, of Defence and of Justice, represented by the Danish National Police) must provide interim reports for the IMWG.
The IMWG produces an annual NAP progress report and publishes it in the Internet
In 2011 (mid-period) the NAP would be reviewed and updated, based on the annual progress reports of the IMWG.
30
to join, but for the updating process of NAP a working group within the NGO Network FORDI has been established.”
FINLAND National inter-ministerial follow-up group with members from national NGOs and the academia. Regular meetings several times per year; chair: the Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Crisis management Centre CMC Finland has a 1325 Steering Group to monitor and develop gender mainstreaming in civilian crisis management recruitment and training.
The responsible authorities (Ministries, CMC Finland, the Finnish Defence Forces) must report to the national follow-up group at least once a year. A standardized reporting template will be developed for this.
The ministry for Foreign Affairs makes a yearly report to the Parliament (its Foreign Affairs Committee). The evaluation is more comprehensive halfway and at the end of the NAP period
All administrative branches are required to collect relevant statistics and information differentiated by gender.
Reporting to the CEDAW Committee and UN Human Rights Council are mentioned
The 1325 Network of the NGOs has an important role in the monitoring and must be provided financial support.
Additional comment by a representative of a ministry: “Different Embassies report on their activities on the implementation of the NAP as part of their normal reporting obligation several times a year.” Critique by a government representative: “The problem is not the human resources, but the high turnover of staff members. When one person with 1325-expertise leaves, the information gets lost, and the wheel needs to be invented again. Usually just one person in the organization actively takes care of the 1325 follow-up.”
ICELAND An expert team on gender equality within the Ministry for Foreign Affairs monitors the implementation; it has representatives from MFA and Icelandic International Development Agency ICEIDA.
An expert team of MFA and ICEIDA makes an annual progress report
The Minister for Foreign Affairs reports annually to the parliament
MFA gender focal point summarises its progress in an annual report
Seconded experts to international operations (via ICRU) report annually to MFA on their work in the field and how the received training benefitted their work
All bilateral (peace-building) projects are analysed using OECD/DAC gender Equality Policy Marker
A mid-term assessment of the NAP will be done in 2014/2015 to determine if the objectives, activities and indicators are still pertinent
31
NORWAY Inter-ministerial working group meets several times per year; chair: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Network between inter-ministerial working group, relevant directorates, research institutes and NGOs meets twice a year
Responsible Ministries (of Foreign Affairs, of Defence, of Justice and the Police, of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion) report annually of their activities and indicators; the network will review these annual reports.
Exchange of knowledge within the UN system emphasized
Critique (by the NGOs & academia): “Official progress reports extensive but mostly about activities carried out, not measuring progress over time or overall result.” “The reports are public, but should also be an annual hearing in parliament (with the Committee on Foreign relations and defence issues).” “Plans for an external evaluation in 2014 look promising.”
SWEDEN No specific monitoring group named in the NAP
Annual meetings with relevant Government Offices and NGOs organized by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs several times per year
Agencies that train or deploy personnel to international operations provide annual reports and prepare gender-disaggregated statistics for the Government
Reporting agencies: Swedish Armed Forces, National Police Board, Folke Bernadotte Academy, Sida, Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, Swedish national Defence College, Swedish Prison and Probation Service)
An evaluation when the NAP expires Critique by the NGOs: “The NAP must be revised with measurable goals, time frames, effective monitoring and budget. The process to produce indicators must be more transparent and inclusive.”
Table 5. Frameworks for monitoring, follow-up groups and documented monitoring in the Nordic countries.
Within the Nordic countries, there is variation
in monitoring activity, the amount of
collaborative partners in the implementation
and the number of parties among whom the
responsibility for the implementation and
reporting has been divided.
In their survey responses, quite a few
representatives of the ministries and other
governmental agencies in both Sweden and
Finland pointed out that the “ownership” of
the implementation is not clear. One Finnish
respondent considered the 5-year timeframe
of the NAP as challenging and highlighted
the importance of mid-term evaluation so
that the course of actions can still be
corrected to achieve more effective
implementation in the end. Also the need to
adopt clear budget lines and to overcome the
stratification of the UNSCR 1325 among
32
different actors within the government was
clearly pointed out.
In Finland, the monitoring of the
implementation of the UNSCR 1325 is done,
besides steering group meetings, through
surveys, seminars, round-tables, and work-
based routine email communication. The
steering group is comprised of the
representatives from different ministries,
NGOs and the academia. The Ministry for
Foreign Affairs asks different ministries and
embassies to report on their activities on the
implementation of the Finnish NAP as a part
of their normal reporting obligation. The
amount of reporting depends on the
organization and embassy, and for example
one respondent stated that 2013 was the first
year when such a report was requested from
the ministry s/he represented.
The Norwegian respondents pointed out that
there are regular meetings with the civil
society in terms of monitoring and evaluating
the implementation, but the survey
responses provided by the representatives of
the NGOs pointed out that the group
“Samarbeidsorganet for kvinner, fred og
sikkerhet” has met only once per year. Also,
one Norwegian respondent from a NGO was
not aware of the existence of such a
monitoring group at all. Furthermore, the
representative from a NGO pointed out that
it is difficult to gain information from the
official bodies, which in turn makes it difficult
to monitor the actual practices of monitoring
how the NAP is implemented. According to
one respondent from a CSO, the official
progress reports that are carried out in
Norway are extensive, but the focus is mostly
on activities carried out, not on measuring
progress over time or the overall results in
implementation. While the reports are
published, the respondent raised the need to
have annual hearings about the
implementation of the NAP in the parliament.
Apparently, Norway plans also to carry out an
external evaluation in 2014, which was
regarded as a positive sign.
In Denmark emphasis was placed on the
reports to the EU and UN on the indicators,
while the other Nordic countries focused in
their answers on internal monitoring. There is
no national monitoring group the NGO’s
could join in Denmark. However, an internal
assessment of mid-term results was planned
in early 2011, when the Danish Ministry of
Foreign Affairs invited Danish CSOs and
other relevant stakeholders for a public
meeting to share the results so that the
others could learn from the CSOs experiences
of implementing SCR 1325. Ultimately,
however, the meeting was cancelled due to
limited interest from the potential
participants. No further evaluation has been
carried out in Denmark. Thus, there is a clear
contradiction with the actual practices of
reporting and monitoring progress and the
goals set in the Danish NAP, which mentions
the preparation of annual progress reports
that will report on the indicators and be
based on reports from the participating
institutions. However, in the context of
updating the national action plan, a working
group within the NGO network FORDI has
been established.
The representatives of the Swedish
governmental actors reported that the
33
implementing parties are responsible for
providing a report once per year to the
government on the work that they have done.
The Folke Bernadotte Academy is responsible
for compiling the report of governmental
agencies to the government. However, some
actors had taken on self-imposed
responsibilities of drafting their own annual
action plan of how they implemented the
NAP within their own organization, or of
upholding knowledge and capacity on issues
that are of relevance to the NAP based on the
need within the crisis management system,
although there was no official requirement to
do so.
In the responses of the governmental
representatives, the Swedish civil society was
given a role in monitoring the actions of the
authorities. Yet, the responses from the
representatives of the civil society are
interesting in comparison with the responses
of the official bodies. In the responses from
the CSO sector, there was no real sense of
participation in monitoring. One respondent
pointed out that nowadays the organization
s/he was representing has very little say in the
process and felt that the CSOs have been
excluded from decision making. A further
complaint was made regarding the lack of
transparency, which is most concretely
manifested in the CSOs’ difficulties in gaining
access to information.
In Iceland, the implementation of the NAP is
monitored once a year. The respondents
from the Icelandic NGO had no part in the
monitoring process or representation in a
steering group, although the organization
they represented had been consulted when
the NAP had been drafted.
As a whole, only 27 % of the representatives
of the Nordic NGOs that participated in the
survey had representation in the national
monitoring group or steering committee.
Altogether 45 % chose the answer that there
is no such group for them to join, although
Denmark is the only Nordic country where a
steering group does not exist at all. The
contrast is apparent, as 73 percent of the
representatives of the Danish NGOs told that
their NGO had been consulted on or partaken
in the creation or revision of the NAP or its
indicators.
There are also national differences in the
“shadow” reporting of Nordic NGOs. The
following table lists these and also the
governmental reports that are public and
covering the current NAP period. These
reports are listed in more detail in appendix 1,
while table 5 provides a general overview on
the reporting that has been carried out within
the Nordic countries.
34
ICELAND NORWAY SWEDEN FINLAND DENMARK
Official progress reports
2011, in the context of drafting NAP II
2011, 2012 2008–2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
2010 (implementation in development policy) 2011, 2013
None available
Shadow reports by CSOs
None CEDAW shadow report in 2011 EPLO 2013 (UNSCR 1325 in Europe)
EPLO 2010 and 2013 (UNSCR 1325 in Europe) Global Women Peacebuilders Network 2011 Operation 1325, 2011, 2012, 2013
EPLO 2010 (UNSCR 1325 in Europe) 1325 Network Finland in 2011
None available
Table 6. The frequency of official and ‘shadow’ repots in the Nordic countries.
35
4 The Nordic Implementation of UNSCR 1325 and its Following
Resolutions
As often is the case, policy papers may tell a
different story than what happens “in the
field”. For example Denmark, although being
the first country to make a 1325 NAP, seems
to be the Nordic country where the agenda of
UNSCR 1325 has the weakest footing. Our
analysis and a survey by the Danish Red Cross,
which charted the Danish CSOs awareness
about UNSCR 1325, show that the resolution
has not received much attention among
politicians, policy-makers or the academia.
In this section of the evaluation, we will look
at the differences that emerge from the
actual practices of implementation within the
Nordic countries. We will contrast the actual
implementation to the NAPs and shed light
on the different experiences and perspectives
that the parties have, and, furthermore,
reflect on the differences between the Nordic
countries.
The key dimensions which we will address
include financial and human resources both in
the governmental and civil sector, capacity
building and training, international and
Nordic cooperation as well as good practices
and challenges from the perspective of
governmental agencies.
It needs to be noticed that although the
situation of CSOs has been incorporated in
this section in the question of funding, the
role of CSOs in implementation and
promotion of the UNSCR 1325 agenda is
addressed more specifically in section 5. This
is due to the fact that the survey questions for
representatives of the governmental
agencies and CSOs are not comparable with
one another although the themes addressed
in the surveys are similar. Thus, to avoid
confusion, the answers are represented in
different sections of the evaluation.
4.1 Financial and Human Resources for the UNSCR 1325 Related Work
On the basis of the survey that was carried
out for this evaluation, it is not possible to
draft an overall picture of how funding is
divided among different ministries and NGOs
within the Nordic countries. However, it can
be concluded that there seems to be no exact
understanding of the amount of funds even
within the ministries themselves. This makes
it somewhat difficult to estimate whether the
budget allocated for the implementation of
the NAP is used, and futhermore how it is
being used. In order to chart the full amount
of resources available for the work related to
1325, both the representatives of the
governmental agencies and the NGOs were
asked how many people in their organization
are working with these themes.
36
HUMAN RESOURCES26
BUDGET ALLOCATIONS
DENMARK 1 part time in the MFA
Neither of the NGOs had human resources allocated for work related to 1325 in NGOs
Neither of the NGOs had received funding for their 1325-related work from the Danish government
FINLAND 1–2 full time and several working part time within the MFA departments
2–4 or more part time within the departments of the Ministry of Interior
NGOs had 0–1 working part time
Most of the funds come from the development cooperation budget.
CMC has allocated funding (below 50,000 EUR) for 1325-related activities, including research and training
ICELAND 2–3 working part time in the MFA
NGOs had 0–1 working part time
A minimum of 100,000 EUR total funding annually (in the NAP)
A minimum of 62,000 EUR annually for the NGOs projects that focus on the protection of women and victims of violence (in the NAP)
Budget allocation for training Icelandic NGOs on UNSCR 1325: 6,000 EUR (during the NAP period)
NGOs are granted funding for several years at a time
NORWAY 1 full time in the MFA
2–3 part time in the Ministry of Justice
NGOs had 2–3 full time workers within the UNSCR 1325-theme
10–15 % (140 million NOK) of peace and reconciliation budget and humanitarian assistance budget earmarked annually to 1325-work (mentioned also in the Strategic Plan)
Specific 300 million NOK allocation for women’s rights
A large part of the funding of NGOs is to be used in specific countries
There is no direct funding for work done by the group of Norwegian NGO´s promoting UNSCR 1325 and other related resolutions
SWEDEN 4 or more in the MFA
1 full time and 2–3 within the departments of the Ministry of Defence
2–3 full time in the FBA
2–3 part time in the National Defence College
1 part time in Police
NGOs have different capacities; 3–4 or more full time
Ministry of Defence: 50,000 EUR
Around 500,000 EUR allocated for UNSCR 1325 related research (2013)
The National Defence College has a budget allocation for gender mainstreaming (conferences, networking, the Nordic Centre for Gender, education and training, Gender Advisors in exercises).
Table 7. Resources allocated for the implementation of UNSCR 1325 in the Nordic countries.
26
Note! Due to inadequate information from some of the relevant ministries and NGOs the lists are not comprehensive. The table is meant only to provide a general overview of the main capacities and their differences between the Nordic countries. Besides from the questionnaire, information is also derived from the NAPs, as indicated.
37
In Finland, the respondents from the
governmental agencies reported that there is
no specific budget line for the
implementation of the NAP within their
organization. The main source of funding is
the development cooperation budget. Three
out of four governmental respondents
considered the funding allocated for the
implementation insufficient. More funds were
requested for research and development
activities, as these were considered essential
in the implementation and evaluation aimed
to improve the practices of implementation
and to assure systemic changes within the
organizations. Also the funds required e.g. for
coordination with other actors on the 1325
agenda are hard to find, even though the sum
needed would not be that substantial. It was
also pointed out that adequate funds should
be allocated to the work of the NGOs.
One respondent from the Finnish ministries
stated that there is still discrimination and
sexual harassment within the Finnish
organizations, so there should be funds
allocated separately for work to be done in
Finland, as the respondent considered it
important that before moving the focus
totally on how other countries implement the
1325 agenda and how Finland can support
these efforts, the “home base” should be
looked after.
In terms of the available human resources,
two out of four Finnish representatives of the
governmental agencies stated that the main
problem is not the number of people, but the
high turnover of staff and that their work time
is at best only part-time. The information gets
lost when people with UNSCR 1325 expertise
leave either to work elsewhere or retire.
Within the Finnish organizations, the number
of 1325 experts is mostly less than five, and
there might be only one person working part-
time. This naturally makes the
mainstreaming of the 1325 agenda rather
challenging.
It proved as difficult in Sweden as in Finland
to name the exact amount of funding that the
governmental organizations had for the
implementation of the NAP. In Sweden – like
in Finland – there is no special budget
allocation tied to the NAP. The programme
1325 at the Folke Bernadotte Academy
receives funding for training and policy
development regarding 1325. Also the
Swedish Defence College has a separate
budget for gender mainstreaming with the
focus of participating in conferences,
networking, supporting the Nordic Centre for
Gender and implementing 1325 in civilian and
military education. Funding is also channeled
through the Swedish International
Development Agency SIDA.
The representative of one Swedish
government organization pointed out that
estimating the exact amount of funding is
practically impossible, because all activities
do not have budgetary consequences, such as
the recruitment of women for international
peace-support and security-building
operations. There is no requirement or
control of how much the various agencies
(should) spend on the implementation of the
NAP, but the decision is taken by the
agencies themselves.
38
The representatives of the Swedish
governmental organizations also felt that
there is a need for more research and concept
development in the field of the
implementation. The starting point for all
activities should be human security and
individual human rights. There was also
criticism of there being too much talk,
seminars and high level statements, and that
less attention is paid to the work on the
grassroot level. The practitioners – such as
soldiers, military and police officers and
rescue workers – would need more concrete
tools to implement the resolution. Thus more
funds should be directed to the concrete
implementation and to integrating the
UNSCR 1325 agenda into existing tools and
practices. In terms of human resources, the
Swedish responses point out that there might
not always be someone to take overall
responsibility with the organization for the
coordination of the 1325 work. However, it
needs to be noted that only 2 respondents
out of 7 considered that the level of funding
does not meet the tasks and ambitions set in
the NAP, while 3 out of 7 felt that the funding
is sufficient. In terms of the adequateness and
correct targeting of human resources in the
work related to UNSCR 1325, 5 out of 7
respondents agreed at least to a certain
extent that the resources were sufficient.
In Norway funding for projects in conflict or
post-conflict societies, with gender equality
as the main or central aim, amounts to
approximately 2 billion Norwegian kroners
(approximately 240 million euros).
Furthermore, according to the respondent
15 % of the peace and reconciliation budget
and 10 % of the humanitarian assistance
budget have been earmarked for the UNSCR
1325 agenda. The Strategic Plan also
mentions that there is a specific annual
aalocation for women’s rights and for the
implementation of UNSCR 1325. CSO
umbrella network, Forum Norway 1325 has,
however, questioned the validity of this
budget estimation.27 The amount of funding
was not considered a challenge to the
implementation in the opinion of the
representatives of governmental agencies
(although one respondent could not estimate
the amount of funding). Instead, the lack of
personnel in key sections of the Ministry was
seen as a problem; too much work is left for
the coordinator of the agenda.
In Denmark, the estimation of the amount of
funding was given on the basis of the EU
indicators report, thus amounting to 193,856
million Danish kroners (approximately 26
million euros). The problem in Denmark, like
in Norway, is that the human resources are not
adequate in the light of the ambitions set in
the NAP.
In Iceland the total amount of annual funding
allocated to the implementation of the NAP
is a minimum of 100,000 euros. This sum is
indicated in the Icelandic NAP. Again, like in
Norway and Denmark, the Icelandic
respondents pointed towards there being too
few people whose work directly concerns the
NAP, especially when compared to the
emphasis of the 1325 agenda in foreign policy.
Also, it was pointed out that the general level
27
EPLO report: UNSCR 1325 IN EUROPE 20 case studies of implementation, 2013.
39
of awareness of the NAP within the
governmental sector was not adequate.
The amount of funding reported by the
representatives of various Nordic NGOs
varies a lot from one country to another.
Neither of the Danish NGOs whose work
relate to the UNSCR 1325 agenda received
funding for their work related to the UNSCR
1325. Another NGO actually received support
from a neigbouring Nordic country, Sweden,
to participate in a conference on 1325! In
Finland, the reported annual governmental
support for work related to UNSCR 1325 was
rather small (30,000–50,000 euros). The
representatives of the Swedish NGOs
reported receiving some 2.5–3 million
Swedish kroners (approximately 280,000–
336,000 euros) annually for their work related
to UNSCR1325. In Norway the estimate was
between 6–8 million Norwegian kroners
(approximately 799,000–948,000 euros)
annually, while in Iceland the estimated
funding amounted to 6–8 million Icelandic
kroners (approximately 37,000–49,000 euros)
per year. The Icelandic NGOs are granted a
sum of 62,000 euros annually in the NAP for
projects that focus on the protection of
women and support to victims of violence.
The representatives of the NGOs were also
asked to reflect on the possible effect of the
source of funding to the activities carried out
by them. Although the amount of funding is
drastically different in Norway than in other
Nordic countries, the Norwegian NGO
respondents pointed towards a problem in
the allocation of funding: the projects are
expected to be carried out in specific countries
and there is no available funding for activities
within Norway.
The Danish respondents pointed out that
there is no specific funding available for
UNSCR 1325, which they felt obviously
limited the projects and tasks that they were
able to carry out. When they compared their
situation to the other actors in the Nordic
countries, they saw a stark contrast between
their ability to spread information about the
commitments that Denmark has taken on
when implementing 1325 and the promotion
of the agenda set in the resolution.
Interestingly enough, also in Sweden, where
the NGO sector is more institutionalized than
in other Nordic countries, the lack of long-
term and core funding was considered to limit
work and the possibilities to plan and carry
out longer projects. Therefore the NGOs
have to spend a lot of time on applications.
As it is, the level of funding can vary to a
great degree from one year to another. Also
the Finnish respondents from the CSOs
criticized the uncertainty and scarcity of
funding that prevents proper planning and
implementation of UNSCR 1325.
Although it cannot be claimed that the
information gained through the survey would
enable the creation of a comprehensive
picture of the resources allocated to UNSCR
1325 related work in the Nordic countries, the
results are indicative of the general situation,
as the respondents were chosen from the
organizations that were identified (by both
the representatives of the governmental
sector and the civil society) of doing work in
the field of 1325.
40
Indeed, the scrutiny of available resources
continues to illustrate differences with the
Nordic countries, although the main
challenges indicated by the representatives
of the NGOs are very similar regardless of the
country in which the organization was
located.
4.2 Capacity Building and Training of Gender Expertise
In this section, we briefly describe the
capacity building and training of gender
expertise in peacekeeping and civilian crisis
management.
Sweden decided to establish a joint Nordic
Centre for Gender in Military Operations 28
inside its own SWEDINT, Swedish Armed
Forces International Centre. The Centre is
said to be “a hub of knowledge and expertise”
in gender issues in peacekeeping for all
Nordic countries. The work of the centre is
focused in two areas: training and education
as well as capability building. The aim is to
create a pool of experts in both these matters.
One form of training is a 2–3 day seminar; in
2014 one seminar will be held for the
strategic level commanders and other key
leaders and another seminar for the military
officials and civilians working on an
operational and tactical level in peace
support operations. 29 Another form of
training is provided for the forthcoming
Operation Commanders’ or Head of Missions’
Gender Advisors or Gender Field Advisors.
The two week course prepares for GAs/GFAs
28
Nordic Gender Centre website:
http://www.forsvarsmakten.se/en/swedint/nordic-centre-for-gender-in-military-operations/ 29
Information on SWEDINT courses: http://www.forsvarsmakten.se/en/swedint/courses-at-swedint/
daíly work and introduces – among other
relevant issues – UNSCR 1325, related
resolutions and the operative NATO Bi-
Strategic Command Directive 40–130. It must
be noted that the latter document is not a
fuzzy policy paper, but operationally very
specific and it for instance lists the tasks and
roles of the Gender Advisor, NATO standards
of behavior and operational planning
checklists. The Swedish military pre-
deployment training contains a lengthy 3–4
hours training on gender, and according to
the annual governmental report in 2012
almost every soldier (nearly 100 %) received
this training before the operation.31
The Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA) provides
training for Swedish civilian crisis
management personnel. It has been
integrating UNSCR 1325 awareness and
gender issues into all of its training and
excersises. Since 2007 it has provided also a
specific Gender Field Advisor Course (now
titled Gender Advising in Field and
Operations), primarily for the gender experts,
30
The directive is titled ”Integrating UNSCR 1325 and Gender Perspectives in the NATO Command Structure, Including Measures for Protection during Armed Conflict”. 31
Svenska myndigheters genomförande av FN:s Säkerhetsrådsresolution 1325, Perioden 1.1.–31.12.2012.
41
gender focal points and the like. This training
has been organized with the Police, the
Swedish Armed Forces and the Swedish Civil
Contingencies Agency. Participation of the
military has, however, declined, as it has
begun to organize its own Gender Field
Advisor training. According to the annual
governemental report, a bit over half of the
civilian crisis management personnel sent on
missions/to the field received training on
UNSCR 1325 in the pre-deployment
training.32 Compared to the corresponding
training institute in Finland, the CMC Finland,
FBA has also a very stong research unit,
which comprises a specific Research Working
Group on UNSCR 1325.
Norway has no training centre for civilian
crisis management. However, it provides a
pool of gender experts for humanitarian
operations via the Gender Standby Capacity
Project (GenCap). It started already in 2007,
but is still called a project, as it was initially
intended to be temporary. In practise it
provides a pool of Gender Advisors to be
deployed on short notice to support the UN
agency led teams in humanitarian
emergencies. GenCap was an initiative by an
international Inter-Agency Standing
Committee (IASC), which in turn is a large
coordinating forum for the UN agencies and
other major actors in humanitarian
protection. GenCap is jointly managed and
administered by the Norwegian Refugee
Council (NRC) and the UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
OCHA office in Geneva, Switzerland provides
32
Svenska myndigheters genomförande av FN:s Säkerhetsrådsresolution 1325, Perioden 1.1.–31.12.2012.
a support unit and contact point for the
gender advisors. NRC, however, works as an
employer for all the gender advisors sent
abroad, while the project covers their salaries
and travel and insurance costs. Besides the
Norwegian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the
project received funding for the year 2013
from Australia, Canada, Sweden and the
United States. Deployments are usually for 6
to 12 months, and the UN agency is acting as
a host agency. The number of GenCap
deployments since the beginning in 2007 is
currently 76. GenCap has a wide inter-Agency
Steering Committee comprised of OCHA,
FAO, UNHCR, UNFPA, UNDP, UNICEF and
UN Women, and it has been externally
evaluated twice so far.33
The Norwegian military has focused more on
special gender training for military
peacekeepers in recent years. A separate
project entitled “gender project” was initiated
in ca. 2010, which dealt with training and
research. Since 2009, Norway started to send
gender advisers/gender field advisers to
NATO’s operations in Afghanistan (both to
the International Assistance Force and
Provincial Reconstruction Team in
Meymaneh).
In Finland military peacekeeper’s pre-
deployment gender training is provided in
two instances: the Pori Brigade trains the staff
(so called rotation training) and the Finnish
33 GenCap website:
https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/themes/genc
ap; GenCap leaflet (2013):
https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/system/files/d
ocuments/files/GenCapUpdate%20July%202013%20-
%20Final.pdf
42
Defence Forces International Centre FINCENT
trains the operation management and
military command. FINCENT is also
resposible for the general coordination and
development of gender training. Now all the
peacekeepers receive training on gender
issues and UNSCR 1325 prior to their mission.
Training of the trainers and Gender
Advisers/Focal Points in operations happens
mostly in the Nordic Centre for Gender in
Military Operations, located in Sweden. So far
Finland has trained 20 soldiers for the Gender
Advisor/Focal Point roster. However,
according to one respondent, the strength of
this national roster should be greater in order
to meet the actual need. Next year, in 2014,
Finland is also appointing personnel to the
Nordic Centre for Gender.
The civilian crisis management pre-
deployment training is organized by the Crisis
Management Centre CMC Finland. In the year
2013 it has given training also in operation, in
Afganistan, for the EUPOL staff.
According to a Finnish respondent, 45–60
minutes of lecturing and additional excercises
make a substantially large part of the whole
relatively intense pre-deployment course, but
are not able to build up strong gender
expertise in military operations. On the other
hand, a focus on training and staffing specific
Gender Advisors is not enough either; all
peacekeepers should receive gendered
‘lenses’, and hence the training should be
creatively intergrated into all pre-deployment
training – especially so in the case of the
management and command. Also in civilian
crisis management training the time
dedicated for these issues was regarded as
too short. In each training, both a specific
module and mainstreaming in the curriculum
as a whole is needed.
In a governmental report to the EU, it is told
that all Danish police officers receive 4 hours
of gender training in preparation to
deployment.
The Danish military staff that participates in
the UN peacekeeping missions receives
gender training in Sweden and Finland,
following the UN directions for such
training.34
According to the previous NAP, Icelandic
peacekeepers of the ICRU have for the past
years received briefings on gender, equality,
sexual abuse and HIV/AIDS issues with a
focus on conflict zones, in accordance with
the UNSCR 1325. These briefings have been
conducted in cooperation with the national
committee of former UNIFEM/contemporary
UN Women in Iceland.35
34
Denmark’s answers to Questionnaire for EU Member states on the indicators for the comprehensive approach to the EU implementation of the UNSCR 1325 and 1829 on Women, Peace and Security. 35
Iceland’s NAP for the implementation of UNSCR 1325 (2008).
43
4.3 International and Nordic Cooperation
When the representatives of governmental
agencies were asked to specify in which
countries their country has operated, two
trends emerged. Firstly, there is cooperation
with intergovernmental organizations such as
NATO, the UN, EU and OSCE, to mention the
most prominent parties. Secondly, there had
been activities in several post-conflict zones
and countries or fragile states. All of the
Nordic countries reported of cooperation
with Afghanistan and all except for Denmark
had cooperation in the Balkans (depending
on the country the exact locations were
Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina). Other
countries that were mentioned by at least
two representatives of different Nordic
countries included Nepal, South Sudan,
Palestine, Horn of Africa (Somalia and Kenya),
the democratic republic of the Congo, West
Africa (Mali and Liberia) and Colombia. In
addition to these countries, Finland reported
of cooperation with Egypt, while the
Norwegian respondents mentioned the
Philippines, Haiti, Myanmar, Syria and the
MENA-region. Sweden, in turn, had carried
out cooperation with Georgia, and Denmark
mentioned Zimbabwe, Libya and Pakistan.
There is, thus, a great variety of countries
that the Nordic countries cooperate with.
However, and perhaps surprisingly, the
cooperation among the Nordic countries is
much more limited in questions related to
UNSCR 1325. The quality of cooperation was
considered to be rather good, but not
extensive enough, at least in the views of
Norway and Iceland. Indeed, the Icelandic
respondent pointed out that one of the
activities of the Icelandic NAP is to increase
Nordic cooperation. As it is, cooperation
between the Nordic countries involved
policy-level work such as the making of joint
statements e.g. in the UNSC. Sweden,
however, plays a nodal role through the
military training given by the Nordic Centre
for Gender, and besides policy-level
cooperation training cooperation was the
main field in which the Nordic countries had
developed synergies.
4.4 Good Practices and Challenges
The evaluation team was interested in the
respondents’ views on successful areas and/or
practices of implementation of the NAP and
also in the challenges that the various actors
might have encountered in their work related
to UNSCR 1325. The representatives of
governmental agencies identified the
following fields of success and challenges in
their responses:
44
Thematic fields of success36 Main challenges37
DENMARK Pre-deployment training of police and military personnel
Integrating a gender perspective in humanitarian assistance
Partnerships with UN Women or UNDP on empowerment of women in fragile states
Increasing the number of women in peacekeeping
Increasing the number of women in civilian personnel in missions, including the police
Recruiting more women to leading operational positions
Increasing awareness and knowledge of women's rights and needs in SSR
FINLAND Indicators in the current NAP
Support the preparation of NAPs in some countries and organisations.
Appointing Gender advisors in some operations.
Improving operational planning, working practices and management in crisis management missions.
Code of Conduct (in the Military)
The number of women in civilian crisis management has increased
Capacity building and training.
Good research projects around the topic
Good civil society relations
Training on gender and the 1325 has improved
Recruiting more women to leading operational positions
Women's participation in peace processes and delegations to peace negotiations; peace mediation is not organised systematically to improve its participative approach and composition of the delegations
Increasing the number of women in peacekeeping
Integrating a gender and UNSCR theme into military operations or training
Integrating a gender and UNSCR 1325 theme into civilian crisis management missions or training
Increasing awareness and knowledge of women's rights and needs in security sector reform (SSR); the SSR concept itself has various interpretations
Lack of understanding and commitment within the senior management of the relevant Finnish organizations
Lack of clearly allocated funds; clear budget lines in responsible ministries
Suspicious, even hostile attitudes towards the 1325 agenda
The new UNSCR 2122 should be seen proactively and already in all plans and forecasts.
NORWAY Women’s participation in peace processes and delegations in peace negotiations
Humanitarian efforts
Reporting and accountability
Participation of female police officers in international operations
Recruiting more women to leading operational positions
Increasing women’s economic and political empowerment
Increasing the number of women in peacekeeping
Increasing awareness and knowledge of women’s rights and needs in SSR
Integrating the gender and 1325 themes into civilian crisis management missions or training
Preventing and responding to sexual violence in conflict
36
Freely worded answers. 37
In the order of frequency; the most often mentioned at the top and open answers last on the list.
45
ICELAND Women’s empowerment
Increased participation of women
Supporting the victims of violence
Women's participation in peace processes and delegations in peace negotiations
Recruiting more women to leading operational positions Increasing awareness and knowledge of women's rights and needs in SSR
SWEDEN Increased number of women participating in international civil missions.
Recruitment of Swedish female staff to peace monitoring efforts.
Gender Advisors
Work against sexual and gender based violence
Strengthening women police officers’ working capacity through networks (UNPOL or Local Police),
The Swedish Armed Forces has succeeded well in implementing the NAP
The 1325 NAP is integrated in the military education and training (exercises and wargaming)
Committed NGOs
Women's participation in peace processes and delegations to peace negotiations
Increasing the number of women in peacekeeping
Recruiting more women to leading operational positions
Increasing awareness and knowledge of women's rights and needs in SSR
Integrating gender and UNSCR themes into military operations or training
Integrating gender and UNSCR 1325 themes into military education
Increasing the number of women civilian personnel in missions, including the police
Integrating gender and UNSCR 1325 theme into civilian crisis management missions or training
Increasing awareness and knowledge of women's rights and needs in SSR
Promoting awareness and knowledge of sexual violence in conflict
Gender sensitive protection is a poorly understood concept both in the military and civilian crisis management, this is also true for the humanitarian sector, e.g. the Red Cross.
There is a need for a conceptual shift to human security within the international security sector, e.g. NATO, EU, etc. This would be beneficial for the women, protection and security agenda
The responsibility of implementation of UNSCR 1325 NAP is very vague.
Table 8. Thematic fields of success and challenges in the implementation of the Nordic NAPS, views from
governmental officials.
When similar questions were asked from the
representatives of the academia, some
interesting differences and also overlaps can
be noted when the two sets of answers are
compared against one another:
46
Main areas of success Main challenges (open question)
DENMARK No answers No answers
FINLAND A new focus on the topic, but yet to be materialised into long-term research funding/teaching
Compartmentalised understanding of implementation (tasks divided by ministries, although some issues would require an interministerial & multistakeholder approach);
Difficulty of earmarking funding for the above mentioned reasons
Lot of rhetorics from the political elite and also undocumented grassroots activism by individuals, yet to see how the talk is transformed into concrete action and long-term work (most of the work done in addition to people's other work and/or with temporary funding/contractual arrangements),
Lack of institutional memory
ICELAND Political influence within the EU and NATO
Steps towards projects that take gender differences into account
At least half of the (civilian) peacekeepers women
Providing gender advisors to peace operations
The support to UN Women is active and provides training for the peacekeepers
Support to the Gender Equality Studies Training Programme (trains people from developing/post-conflict countries on gender equality)
More interest from the civil society and other stakeholders
Promoting the agenda outside a narrow group of interested parties
NORWAY Women are more involved in peace processes
Women are more involved in military and security discussions in Norway
Increasing the number of policewomen in operations
Considerable funding allocated to 1325 in conflict ridden societies (especially fo women’s organizations & other NGOs)
Support given to women’s organizations outside Norway that have contributed to peace processes e.g. in Colombia, Uganda and Guatemala
Follow-up on the actual implementation and work done in the different ministries
Political and normative support globally
To recruite more women into military peacekeeping
Recruitment of women to top-level international positions
Clear focus on sexual violence (protection of women); less on the core message of 1325, women’s political participation
Lack of funding for information activities in Norway
Lack of transparency in the budget for UNSCR 1325
Funding granted for short term research projects, for one year at a time
Better coordination of efforts
No one has a full overview of the money spent and how the funding links to the NAP & Strategy.
47
SWEDEN UN SCR 1325 mainstreaming into military training
Development of NAP and indicators
IKFF and 1325 network (Operation 1325) have succeeded in making Government accountable for commitments
Work against sexual exploitation and violence in conflicts
Western focus in post-conflict situations; not enough focus on the people’s own needs
Dissemination of information on 1325 nationally
Development of NAP and indicators
Regional cooperation
Exchange programmes between Nordic countries and countries in conflict (both intergovernmental and between the NGOs and academics)
Table 9. Thematic fields of success and challenges in the implementation of the Nordic NAPS, views from the academia.
The answers show that there have been steps
taken in the right direction in the Nordic
countries. But as the list of current and
remaining challenges suggests, there are also
some crucial steps to be taken if the women,
peace and security agenda is to be
implemented effectively.
One concrete measure that might prove to be
beneficial for the implementation of UNSCR
1325 would be governmental actors collecting
information about good practices that the
CSOs have developed in their own work.
Based on the survey, some CSOs mentioned
having success in those fields in which
representatives of the administrative
agencies had met challenges. One example of
such success was increasing women’s
participation in peace processes. Thus, there
seems to be a call for more comprehensive
cooperation between the CSOs, responsible
bodies in the administration and the
academia to boost the implementation of
NAPs and the 1325 agenda as a whole.
48
5 The Civil Society and the Promotion and Implementation of
UNSCR 1325
This section of the evaluation will focus on
the organization of the civil society within the
Nordic countries, the role of CSOs in
implementation, as seen by themselves and
in the view of governmental agencies, and
the quality of cooperation between the
parties.
5.1 Comparing the Nordic Organizing of Civil Society
Finland, Norway and Sweden have umbrella
networks for the NGOs whose work is either
partly or fully focused on UNSCR 1325.
Denmark and Iceland have no umbrella
network. The main monitoring actors are UN
Women in Iceland and WILPF in Denmark.
Since 2010, Nordic NGOs have gathered four
times to a meeting and compared their
activities. They have also produced joint
statements related to UNSCR 1325.
Forum Norge 1325 is a network of 19
organizations in Norway. It was established
in 2004 and co-ordinated by FOKUS (Forum
for Women and Development). The founding
organizations of Forum Norge 1325 are:
WILPF Norway, Amnesty International
Norway, Likestillingssenteret, CARE Norge,
Norwegian Church Aid and FOKUS. It receives
no direct government support for its activities.
The Swedish network Operation 1325
receives government funding. Its five
member organizations are: UN Women
National Committee Sweden, Women for
Peace, the Swedish Women’s Ecumenical
Council, the Swedish Federation of Immigrant
Women’s Associations RIFFI and the Left
Federation of Swedish Women. It also
cooperates with the Swedish Women’s Lobby.
In addition, the following organizations do
regular 1325-related work in Sweden,
including monitoring the implementation of
1325 NAP: (1) Womens International League
for Peace and Freedom WILPF Sweden, and
(2) Kvinna till Kvinna.
The 1325 Network Finland is a large umbrella
coordinated by Finland National Committee
for UN Women. The government support has
varied a lot during the years (2008: 8,000 €,
2009: 25,000 €, 2010–2011: 150,000 €, 2012:
approximately 30,000 € and 2013: 30,000 €).
Besides Finland’s UN Women the other
member organizations are: the Finnish League
for Human Rights; Amnesty International’s
Finnish Section; Civil Society Conflict
Prevention Network KATU; the Family
Federation; the Feminist Association Unioni;
the Coalition on Finnish Women’s Associations
49
NYTKIS; the National Council of Women in
Finland; the UN Association of Finland; the
Crisis Management Initiative CMI; Young
Women’s Christian Association YWCA; Women
Journalists in Finland; the Finnish Section of
Women’s International League for Peace and
Freedom WILPF; Zonta International District
20; Finn Church Aid; African Care; the Finnish
Committee for European Security STETE;
Political Parties of Finland for Democracy
DEMO Finland and the Finnish Federation of
University Women.
UN Women has a different footing in
different Nordic countries. Finland, Iceland
and Sweden have active National
Committees for UN Women.38 In Norway, the
aforementioned FOKUS has been the
National Committee for UN Women since
2010. It has succeeded in increasing
substantially the governmental funding to
UN Women.
38
National Committees for UN Women are independent NGOs that support the mission of UN Women and do fundraising efforts to support UN Women programmes worldwide.
As a large umbrella organization of 75
women’s organizations it, however, tries to
avoid competition between UN Women and
other CSOs in Norway, and advocates that
funds to other UN organizations should be
reallocated to UN Women. Denmark has no
National Committee.
All the Nordic countries are among the top
ten donors for UN Women. On November
2013, the Government of Sweden announced
additional end-of-year core funding of 10.6
million USD for UN Women. This raised its
overall 2013 contribution to approximately
19.25 million USD and made Sweden the
second-highest donor to the organization’s
core budget after United Kingdom. In 2013,
also the other Nordic countries made
significant donations: Norway 16.2 million
USD, Finland 8.9 million USD, Denmark 6.9
million USD and Iceland 700,000 USD.39
39
UN Women website, 2013 Government Core Contri-butions to UN Women: http://www.unwomen.org/en/partnerships/donor-countries
50
5.2 The Role of the Civil Society in the Implementation of NAP
As the responsibility for the implementation
of the 1325 agenda and the NAPs remains
rather vague in the Nordic countries, the
survey set out to chart what kind of role the
representatives of official bodies gave to
CSOs in the implementation. The same was
also asked from the CSOs themselves.
Both Finnish and Icelandic representatives of
the government emphasized the role of the
civil society as major, even crucial in the
implementation of the NAPs. The CSOs were
considered an engine and a watchdog; raising
critical issues, monitoring what the ministries
do and communicating them to the public.
They were also expected to collaborate with
NGOs in developing countries and work
together to support better national action
plans.
Similarly the Norwegian and Swedish
representatives of administrative bodies
considered NGOs as both partners in
implementation and as operators which hold
the government accountable. Swedish
representatives of the government described
the civil society’s role as not only reactive and
to do with monitoring, but also as proactive,
contributing with opinions on extant and new
policies. The NGOs advocate for UNSCR 1325
and provide important expertise on the
matter – including knowledge and
partnerships in fragile states. In Sweden the
NGOs for instance assist in police and military
training and give lectures in different courses
according to experiences from international
peace-operations (both military and civilian).
As the governmental representatives
considered the role of CSOs central in the
implementation of the Swedish NAP, it was
also seen that the demands that concern
governmental organizations and agencies
should be applied to the CSOs too. Denmark
seemed to make an exception in this respect.
According to the Danish representative, the
role of the civil society is thin, even though
the relations between the governmental and
civil sector are good; “there is not strong
interest from Danish CSO's in the
implementation of the Danish NAP”.
Interesting differences of opinion emerged
when the perspectives of the governmental
sector were combined and contrasted with
the views of the NGOs themselves. When the
same question about the role of the NGOs in
the implementation of the NAP was asked
from the representatives of the civil sector,
quite opposite views were presented to what
we just outlined above.
The NGOs in Finland considered their role to
be rather small, although the NGOs had
adopted an active role in advocacy,
promotion, as well as monitoring and
evaluation. The biggest challenge in Finland
and Sweden was the uncertaintly and scarcity
of funding for their UNSCR 1325 related work,
which prevents a more strategic and long-
term implementation. “More time is spent
with doing applications than the real
projects”. The Danish CSO representatives
struggled with the same problem and felt
that they had a very limited working space -–
partly due to the lack of funding. They would
like to have a bigger role though and organize
51
hearings and conferences, to for instance
raise “awareness about the fact that sending
more female soldiers to Afghanistan isn't the
way to help the women (there)”.
Ironically, the opposite challenge is facing
Iceland. It has earmarked funding for
Icelandic NGOs working in the field of UNSCR
1325, but not a single NGO applied for this
funding in 2013! In Norway there are no funds
allocated for activities in Norway, which
makes it difficult to do advocacy work in
Norway.
All Nordic countries have to some extent
engaged national NGOs (working in the fields
of development aid, humanitarian affairs or
peace and security) when revising their
current NAPs. Indeed, one representative of
the Finnish governmental sector even
commented that the Finnish NAP would not
exist at all without the pressure from the
Finnish NGOs. The Finnish NGOs had also a
central role during the recent update process:
they contributed to the text and for instance
succeeded in forming some of the indicators
and reporting for the parliament.
In Sweden – according to the CSO reports –
civil society was participated extensively
during the drafting process of the first NAP,
but consultations for the second NAP (2009)
were less thorough. Only a few meetings with
parliamentarians and several NGO’s were
held and one draft was shared, but there was
no room for contributions to the text. CSO’s
from conflict affected countries were not
consulted. In Iceland, all the NGO’s working
on Development Aid were given the
opportunity to bring their views to the table.
A group of more than 10 NGO’s were
consulted on the final stages of the NAP. In
Denmark, NGOs working in countries
affected by conflict joined the process of
updating the NAP.
There was, however, a call for more
transparency made by the Swedish and
Norwegian NGOs. One NGO representative
in Sweden saw that the Swedish CSOs have
had little to say in the process of revising the
NAP. The contemporary NAP of Sweden was
criticized to be inadequate and not
implementable. It lacks measurable goals,
time frame, a monitoring mechanism and a
budget line. Likewise, one Norwegian
respondent wanted more clarity on UNSCR
1325 budgeting; currently there is not enough
information about public funds. On the other
hand, the Swedish NGOs themselves called
for more proactivity from themselves and
that they should demand more inclusivity and
transparency from the Swedish Government,
in the spirit of the resolution. An Icelandic
NGO representative said the same. The
NGOs should work to change mindsets, be
forward looking and progressive.
The most intense and open relationship
between the government agencies and CSOs
exists perhaps in Norway, although Iceland is
the only country which engages and funds
NGOs distinctly in the current NAP. The
Norwegian respondents stated that in
Norway it is always possible to have an open
debate, and for the Norwegian NGOs to
criticize the government and vice versa.
There is also a lot of cooperation.
52
The problem was that the governmental
actors are often extremely busy and
overemployed, thus it can take a long time
e.g. to receive answers. The Finnish
governmental representatives described the
relationship with the civil society sector as a
good and very open one, but not as intensive
as it could be.
Government officials are sitting in the same
coordination meetings with the NGOs, but
there is no systematic consultation and
coordination in their work. Also in Sweden
one representative of the administrative
bodies hoped for more contact, as there are
only a few meetings per year with the NGOs.
53
6 Lessons learned – Recommendations for the Future
A comparative analysis between the
Nordic countries shows that a large
number of detailed indicators are not a
guarantee of successful implementation.
The opposite may, however, hold true, as
vague indicators can be even more
harmful, as they don’t indicate the
responsibilities clearly enough for the
Ministries, governmental offices, NGOs
and other relevant actors.
The national indicators should also take
better into account longer perspective
qualitative developments and changes –
thus providing in-depth knowledge about
the factors that drive policy-change and
sustainable effects in the countries
affected by conflict. The objectives should
include a time frame; the whole NAP
period of 3–5 years does not match with
all indicators. Thus, systematic and
structured monitoring is required in the
progress.
The NAPs are strategic papers and as
such they should be evaluated mid-term.
The updating process should be
transparent and include NGOs and
practitioners from the field. We would
also recommend that all Nordic nations
conduct evaluations and research in the
countries of conflict receiving support;
this would also benefit substantially both
to the monitoring processes and the
future updates of the NAPs.
It is also less clear, whether the UNSCR
1325 agenda can be applied only abroad.
In Norway and Finland, there is harldly
any funding for systematic, internal
awarenessraising. Both Swedish and
Finnish responses to the survey point
towards the continued existence of
discrimination against women within the
armed forces. Who is responsible for
mainstreaming the agenda within the
Nordic region or is it already assumed
that with the adopting of NAPs the whole
question can be put to rest?
An effective implementation requires
also fully committed personnel, who can
work full-time and, if they change jobs or
retire, will transfer their knowledge inside
the responsible Ministry or office.
The CSO sector has been actively
involved and recruited in the processes of
developing and revising NAPs within the
Nordic countries, but the degree to which
they have been granted the funds
necessary for effective monitoring and
lobbying nationally to mainstream the
UNSCR 1325 agenda varies.
Also, the academia should be better
integrated and the knowledge produced
in research should be taken into account
more. Furthermore, its potential for
policy-development should be
investigated more closely. Norway is a
clear pioneer in this respect.
54
Epilogue
UNSCR 1325 as a feasible framework
of action
After completing our main task of comparing
the Nordic implementation of UNSCR 1325,
we will now briefly turn to the question that
we touched upon in the introduction. Namely
we will reflect on whether the UNSCR 1325
can be seen as a feasible framework for
action even though it leaves ample space for
the implementing countries to determine
focus areas and means of action they choose
to adopt. This, naturally, results in the fact
that the practices of implementation can vary
considerably from one country to another. In
our analysis, we will rely on the responses of
the representatives of the academia who
were asked to reflect upon the UNSCR 1325
as a framework for the promotion of the
women, peace and security agenda.
One Norwegian respondent considers the
mother resolution 1325 as too wide and general
in terms of working well as a framework for
implementation. All of the follow-up
resolutions in recent years are moving us
towards a more effective monitoring and
implementation regime. Another respondent
stated that the SCR 1325 is currently too
much geared towards sexual and gender
based violence and women’s protection;
hence the main idea of stronger women’s
agency is a bit lost. In a similar tone, a Finnish
respondent emphasized strengthening the
link with CEDAW, Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women, adopted in 1979 by the UN
General Assembly.
A Swedish respondent criticized the vague
formulation of the Resolution, which tends to
favor military implementation and quantitative
measures. There needs to be more focus on
the needs of people in their own settings.
Another Swedish respondent considers 1325
and following resolutions to be an important
and feasible framework, although needing to
be understood and used in broader policy and
a normative context.
The respondents identified a need for more
guidance on implementation. It might be
useful to go through each of the 'operative
paragraphs' in 1325 and following resolutions,
and identify more clearly the required actions.
Implementation should thus be done by
building on the experiences and 'promising
practices' we have so far from countries
around the world. This might make it easier
for some countries to more fully understand
how they should implement the resolutions
at a practical level.
There was also critique for the current
practice being too much focused on just
developing NAPs – not only nationally but also
internationally. A NAP was considered useful
in a country like Norway for the purposes of
advocacy and accountability – and also in
terms of having funding set aside for 1325
activities. But in many conflict/post-conflict
countries it might be more effective to ensure
that gender/women's issues are well
integrated into larger national strategies and
55
power reduction plans rather than developing
yet another document – that often lives its
own life outside of where the money and
resources are found.
There is also much more talk than walk.
Besides political rhetoric and advocacy, the
Nordic countries need concrete action and
long-term work. So far in many Nordic
countries most of the work is done part-time
and aside other tasks, and supported with
temporary funding. This ultimately creates a
lack of institutional memory.
The work on 1325 (2000) was 'stagnated' for a
long time at the global level. Now after the
new and promising UN resolutions, especially
the UNSCR 2122, there is much hope in the
air. Policy papers, as we know, are not
implementing themselves. The Nordic
countries should develop their indicators and
monitoring mechanisms further. Besides
being able to share 'promising practices' from
their own countries, the Nordic countries
should be at the forefront of holding the
relevant UN, EU and other international
bodies accountable and not accept at times
inadequate actions and reporting. This is an
important constructive role for committed
Member States of the UN.
The views of the practitioners show that in all
Nordic countries there is some kind of a gap
between the goals set in the NAPs and the
work done in practice or the reality of
implementation work. Especially the CSOs
call for earmarked funding and specific
timeframes for the actions. Thus there is an
overall need to design more specific action
plans for the various primary areas that were
set in the NAPs, assign concrete (mid-term)
goals and divide the responsibilities between
parties clearly. Such a revision process could
also be a good topic for Nordic cooperation.
56
Appendix 1
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genomförande av den nationella handlingsplanen för FN:s säkerhetsrådsresolution 1325 för
perioden januari – december 2010
Regeringskansliet, Utrikesdepartementet, Redovisning inom RK och myndigheterna av
genomförandet av den nationella handlingsplan för 1325 under perioden januari 2008 –
december 2009
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Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security 2013–2016.
Women, Peace and Security. Norway’s Strategic Plan 2011–2013.
Women, Peace and Security. Norway’s Strategic Plan 2011–2013. Progress Report 2011.
http://www.regjeringen.no/upload/UD/Vedlegg/Utvikling/Kvinner%20og%20likestilling/Rappor
t_2011_Gender_E894_web.pdf
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Appendix 2
Questions to representatives of ministries and other governmental bodies
Background information:
1. Which one of the Nordic countries do you represent?
2. Which authority or body do you represent?
Section I: Funding and human resources 1. How many persons in your organisation are responsible for the coordination and monitoring of the implementation of the National Action Plan? 2. Please estimate the amount of funding annually allocated to the implementation of the National Action Plan within your organisation? (If you cannot tell the exact number, please specify what is done with the funding and what kind of functions are maintained with the funding.) 3. The current funds allocated to the implementation of UNSCR 1325 are adequate with regard to the tasks and objectives mentioned in the National Action Plan. 4. The human resources in my organisation are adequate and targeted correctly to guarantee the effective implementation of the National Action Plan. Section II: Monitoring and evaluation 1. How regularly is the implementation of the National Action Plan collectively monitored or evaluated in the organisation that you represent? (Steering group meetings or equivalent collective monitoring) 2. Are there any other means of monitoring and/or reporting the implementation of the National Action Plan? Section III: Implementation 1. To your knowledge, in which countries or geographical areas has your country participated in the implementation of UNSCR 1325 in recent years? 2. Please indicate three thematic fields or priority areas where the implementation of the National Action Plan has been successful. (You can also name specific projects or organizations that in your opinion have succeeded well.) 3. What have been the main challenges in your country in work related to the implementation of UNSCR 1325?
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Section IV: Training 1. Does the organisation that you represent organise training related to the implementation of UNSCR 1325? 2. Do all people receive gender training before departing for crisis management missions (whether civilian or military)? 3. In your opinion, does the training given prior to management operations whether civilian or military meet the demands of UNSCR 1325 and gender sensitivity? Section V: Cooperation between different actors 1. Does your organisation cooperate with other Nordic countries in the implementation of the National Action Plan? 2. What in your opinion is the role of national NGOs in the implementation of the National Action Plan? 3. How would you describe the cooperation between your own organisation and national NGOs with regard to UNSCR 1325 or the National Action Plan? 4. Are there any further comments or observations you would like to make concerning the implementation of UNSCR 1325 National Action Plan?
Questions to representatives of the CSOs Background information: 1. What kind of work, related to the UNSCR 1325 and its following resolutions, does the
NGO that you represent do?
2. Which one of the Nordic countries provides funding for the NGO that you represent? Section I: Funding and resources 1. How much funding does your NGO receive for its work related to UNSCR 1325 and its following resolutions? (If you cannot provide an exact number, please give your estimation on the amount of funding.) 2. From which sources does the funding come? 3. Can you specify the time frame for which funding is granted at a time?
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4. In the NGO you represent, to what extent have human resources been allocated towards work related to the UNSCR 1325? (personyears/year) 5. Do you think that the quality or source of funding directs the work that your NGO does in the implementation or promotion of UNSCR 1325? Section II: Monitoring and indicators 1. Does your NGO have representation in a national monitoring group or steering committee concerning the National Action Plan or UNSCR 1325? 2. Has your NGO been consulted on or participated in the creation of national indicators with which the implementation of National Action Plan is evaluated and monitored? 3. In your opinion, is the official evaluation and monitoring of the implementation of the National Action Plan effective in your country and are the indicators (if at use) functional? Section III: Promotion and implementation of UNSCR 1325 1. How would you describe the role of NGOs in the promotion of UNSCR 1325 in your country or in relation to the National Action Plan? Do you see any difference between these two roles? 2. What do you consider as the biggest challenge that your NGO faces in its work related to UNSCR 1325? 3. What do you regard as the biggest achievement(s) of the NGO you represent in its work related to UNSCR 1325 or the National Action Plan? 4. Does the NGO you represent work outside the Nordic region? Section IV: Cooperation between governmental organizations and NGOs 1. How actively does your NGO cooperate with other NGOs or governmental actors in the promotion or implementation of UNSCR 1325? Please choose all relevant options. 2. In your opinion, how does the cooperation between governmental actors and NGOs function in your country? 3. Is there anything else you would like to add or point out concerning the promotion or implementation of UNSCR 1325 and its following resolutions in your country?
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Questions to researchers Background information: 1. In which Nordic country is your research institute/academic organisation located? 2. Have questions related to the UNSCR 1325 (Women, peace and security) or the themes of gender, peacebuilding and conflict been researched in your country? 3. Do you think that research related to the implementation or promotion of UNSCR 1325 and gender sensitive conflict studies are competitive fields in terms of research funding in your country? Section I: Researchers and their role in work related to UNSCR 1325 1. Is there an active network of nongovernmental organisations focusing on work related to the promotion or implementation of UNSCR 1325 in your country? 2. Does there exist such a governmental or administrative body that monitors the National Action Plan and that academic researchers could also join? 3. To your knowledge, have researchers participated in the creation of either the National Action Plan or the indicators concerning the implementation of UNSCR 1325? 4. In your opinion, were academic knowledge and research results adequately taken into account when drafting the National Action Plan or deciding about the indicators? 5. Has the implementation of UNSCR 1325 and its following resolutions been successful in your country? 6. Are there gaps in your country concerning the promotion of UNSCR 1325 and its following resolutions? 7. How would you estimate UNSCR 1325 and its following resolutions in terms of the objectives and guidelines that they set for governments? Do they provide a feasible framework for governments to implement or are there issues that would require further attention? 8. Is there anything else concerning the implementation or promotion of UNSCR 1325 and its following resolutions that you would like to point out?
www.acaide.fi
www.1325.fi